"Seek us who are perishing, O Most Holy Virgin, do not punish us according to our sins, but in Your kindness have mercy on us: deliver us from hell, sickness, and need, and save us."
Troparion, Tone 4
Loving, believing hearts have given the Most Holy Mother of God many names. But "Seeker of the Lost" carries a particular power. This name bears witness that even a soul adrift and on the verge of utter ruin still finds a safeguard in the Very Mother of the Lord. That grim word "lost" suggests going beyond recall, cut off from earth and heaven and even from oneself, the target of the enemy’s mockery. And yet, unexpectedly, having stepped over the threshold of the permissible, into the grip of death, not only physical but often spiritual as well, the lost soul still finds miraculous intercession. The Pure Virgin’s motherly care searches out the weary, fallen spirit.
"The Lord, desiring to show the depths of His generosity, the might of His patience, gave You to people as an invincible shield. And should any be found worthy of condemnation by God's righteous Judgment, under Your sovereign care they remain, with opportunity to repent."
St Innocent of Kherson
The earliest mention of the icon of the Mother of God called "Seeker of the Lost" takes us back to the 7th century. The Life of Theophilus of Adana, who died around 538 AD, recounts how, through the prayers and intercession of the Most Pure Mother of God, the monk Theophilus, who had fallen into mortal sin, was saved from eternal perdition. Theophilus had served as a steward under a certain bishop but was unjustly wronged and cast out. Angry about his disgrace, he sought out dark powers for revenge. When he came to his senses, he did not dare ask God directly for forgiveness, so he cried out to the Most Holy Mother of God. Help was not slow in coming. The Protectress of mankind let him know, in an astonishing way, that his sins were forgiven and then returned to him the document he had signed with the devil.
Repentant, Theophilus ultimately reached great spiritual heights and was numbered among the venerable by the Church. From that arises the title of the icon — "Seeking the Lost" — which shows that people turn to it as a final refuge in their most desperate and hopeless trials. Just how the icon of the Mother of God, the one before which Venerable Theophilus prayed, might have looked, we cannot be certain. Hence the iconography of the Mother of God, "Seeker of the Lost," takes many forms. Yet, all icons bearing this title belong to the "Eleusa" type — the "Merciful".
"Rejoice, you who by your mighty protection deliver us from all troubles; rejoice, you who defend us from earthquake and flood. Rejoice, you who provide for us in our spiritual and physical hunger; rejoice, you who extinguish fire with the dew of your prayers. Rejoice, you who save us from mortal destruction; rejoice, steadfast helper in battle. Rejoice, you who shield us from the invasion of foreigners; rejoice, you who protect us from civil strife. Rejoice, smooth passage for those who sail upon the waters; rejoice, good guide for travellers. Rejoice, deliverance for the captives; rejoice, swift rescue from the righteous wrath of God that hangs over us."
Ikos 11 of the Akathist Hymn before the icon of the Mother of God "Seeker of the Lost"
In Russia, icons called "Seeker of the Lost" were painted from olden times, yet during the seventeenth century, this image became especially renowned. A pious peasant named Fedot Obukhov supported the desperately poor church in the village of Bor, Kaluga Province, in every way he could. His gifts included icons and holy vessels. One day, while he was travelling for the Baptism of the Lord, a blizzard trapped Fedot near Serpukhov. His horses grew exhausted and stopped at an impassable ravine. With no way out, he cried from the heart to the Queen of Heaven for help and promised to have a copy of her icon "Seeker of the Lost" made and to give it to his parish church. Then he unhitched the horse, tied it to the sleigh, covered himself as best he could, lay down in the sleigh, and began to freeze. Another few minutes, and he would have been lost. But the One he had called upon with such faith was watching over him.
A miracle happened: the sleigh, with the unhitched horse still tied to it, which had been standing at the edge of the ravine, suddenly appeared at the gate of a peasant's house in a nearby village. Inside, the peasant heard a voice outside his window saying, "Take him." Going to the gate, he found the horse and Fedot in the sleigh. He brought him in, warmed him up, and saved his life. After Fedot had recovered, he fulfilled his promise. He had the icon "Seeker of the Lost" made and carried it with reverence to his church. Painted to commemorate his miraculous rescue, this icon became renowned for wonders. Every year, crowds gathered to venerate it, and with the pennies of faithful worshippers, a beautiful stone church was built on the site of the old wooden chapel. Grand services were held there.
In 1871, the Mother of God worked a great marvel through the Bor icon "Seeker of the Lost." It was a time of cholera, and the people of Serpukhov resolved to bring that icon to their town. A boy in the city, unable to speak or walk, saw the icon and suddenly cried out, "This is the ‘Seeker of the Lost,” and then rose to his feet. Once the icon was brought to Serpukhov, cholera came to a halt. From that day onward, the Mother of God's icon was carried to Serpukhov each year in a solemn procession from the village of Bor. This tradition lasted until the Soviet government razed the church in Bor to the ground. After that, the holy icon vanished without a trace.
Local revered copies of the "Seeker of the Lost" icon have survived to this day. The best-known are in Moscow — at the Church of the Resurrection of the Word on Uspensky Vrazhek, in Saint Petersburg — at the Protection Church in Marienburg, and in Samara — at the Cathedral of the Protection.
The icon of the Mother of God 'Seeker of the Lost' in the Church of the Resurrection of the Word
The icon housed in the Church of the Intercession in Marienburg came about through the efforts of Abbess Anatolia and the sisters of the Holy Trinity Rakov Monastery in Samara Province. They commissioned it to commemorate the miraculous salvation of Emperor Alexander III and his family during the train crash of 1888. For a time, the donated icon remained in Gatchina. In the 1950s, two parishioners from the Marienburg Church of the Intercession rediscovered it and returned it to the church.
The Marienburg image of "Seeker of the Lost"
In 1666, an icon of the Mother of God 'Seeker of the Lost' floated down the Volga River to the city of Saratov and appeared to the mortally wounded governor, Kadyshev, who was healed soon after. From that moment, this sacred depiction became a family treasure for that noble household, bringing wondrous signs and releasing people from illness on more than one occasion. Two centuries later, a descendant of the governor established a monastery in the village of Rakovka in the Samara region, and the icon took its place as the principal treasure of the new community. News of miraculous healings attributed to this icon soon spread across the country. The image was warmly received in other cities and regions, including St Petersburg. The custom of bringing the wonder-working image only ceased with the revolution. In 1953, the icon was moved to the Cathedral of the Protection in Samara, where it remains to this day.
The icon of the Mother of God "Seeker of the Lost" in the Cathedral of the Protection in Samara
In 1915, with Saint Matrona of Moscow’s blessing, a copy of the Seeker of the Lost icon was created. The saint kept it with her all her life. This icon now resides in the Intercession Convent in Moscow.
Arrival of the icon 'Seeker of the Lost' at the Convent of the Intercession in Moscow, 1998
“A Pledge of Grace You longed to bestow upon our people, and so You revealed Your healing Icon to us, O Mother of God. From it, torrents of wonders flow for those who come in faith: ailments are cured, and sorrows subside. For this cause, we cry out to God with joy concerning You: Alleluia.”
Kontakion 12 of the Akathist Hymn Before the Icon of the Mother of God “Seeker of the Lost”
Who among us has never faced troubles or afflictions? Who could pass through life without grief or mishap? A restless soul finds comfort in prayer, bowing before holy icons, and pouring out their anguish before the sacred image. One knows that these tearful prayers will not go unanswered. The cries of our hearts will be heard. Then sorrow fades, storm clouds part, and the sun of righteousness shines within the soul. God’s world will appear radiant, people nearby will seem kindly, and our spirits will lift and proclaim, "The Lord lives, and my soul lives! Around me is the Fervent Intercessor, showing Her Gracious help through Her miracle-working icons!" To this calm and good haven do we hasten. Let us also come to Her, crying out from the depths of our hearts:
“O fervent Intercessor, compassionate Mother of the Lord! To You, I run, wretched and most sinful of all. Hear the voice of my supplication, my cry, and my lamentation. Do not turn away from me, despairing and perishing in sins. Have mercy on me as I repent of my wicked deeds, and guide my wretched soul that has strayed to the right path. In You, O Sovereign Lady Mother of God, I place all my hope. You, O Mother of God, preserve and protect me under Your shelter, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen."
Fragment of a prayer before the Icon of the Mother of God "Seeker of the Lost"
This material was prepared by the team of obitel-minsk.ru
Photographs from the internet
Sources used:
1. Blessed Matrona of Moscow (Nikonova) / Ascetics of Piety of the 20th Century. Moscow: Intercession Convent, 2017
2. Seeker of the Lost – Holy Trinity St Stephen of Makhra Monastery
3. The Icon "Seeker of the Lost" in Samara, 1901 and 1912 by Margarita Biryukova