Meeting of Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God

 

In 1395 Tamerlane and his Tatar forces entered the Russian land and moved against Moscow, with forces possessing incomparable power and experience and outnumbering the Russian armies by several times. Moscow’s only remaining hope rested in fortune and God’s help. Thus, Great Prince Vasily Dimitrievitch of Moscow sent to Vladimir for the Miraculous Icon. Over the course of the Vladimir Icon’s ten-day journey from Vladimir to Moscow, people stood on their knees along the road and implored “O Mother of God, save the Russian land.”

 

The Icon was welcomed into Moscow on August 26, “and the entire city came before the Icon to greet it.…” At the time of the meeting, Tamerlane was asleep in his tent. It is said that in a dream at that moment, he saw a high hill, from which there descended toward him holy hierarchs with golden staffs. Above them was a “radiant  Woman,” standing in the air, radiating bright rays of light, and surrounded by a host of angels, countless in number, armed with swords. In the morning Tamerlane summoned his wise men. “You won’t be able to handle them, O Tamerlane, for it is the Mother of God who intercedes for the Russians,” said a seer to the undefeated Khan. “And Tamerlane ran, pursued by the power of the Most-holy Virgin….”