Derzhavnaya bogoroditsa?

[William Ryan]

Daniel, this is useful information. I do wonder though, in view of the 
iconography, if "derzhavnyi" might perhaps here be an adjective formed 
from "derzhava" not in the sense of state or power, as you have 
translated it, but of the orb (also called "derzhava") which the Mary is 
holding? The orb and sceptre are after all a departure from tradition 
and the most striking feature of the icon. Thus an appropriate English 
name for the icon might be "Our Lady of the Orb".
Will


Daniel Rancour-Laferriere wrote:
> Dear colleagues,
> I agree with the comments of Michele A. Berdy.  The finding of 
> "Derzhavnaya" was represented as "quite an event."  Here are some 
> further sources referring to it (from my 2005 book THE JOY OF ALL WHO 
> SORROW):
>
>>             The Mother of God is interested in defending Russia not 
>> only from external enemies, but from internal enemies as well.  
>> Indeed, she seems to have taken over as protective ruler of Russia in 
>> March of 1917, right after political opponents of Nikolai II had 
>> forced him to abdicate.  At this time in the village of Kolomenskoe 
>> near Moscow an icon was �found� of her called Derzhavnaia (roughly, 
>> �Great Power�).  There now exist many copies of this icon, which is 
>> commemorated every year on 15 (2) March.  The icon shows the Mother 
>> of God seated on a throne with the Christ child, wearing a crown, and 
>> holding a scepter and orb (see Figure 19).[i]  In this image Mary is 
>> not only the �Heavenly Tsaritsa,� but even �Russian Tsaritsa� 
>> (�Tsaritsa Rossiiskaia�) in one of the nationalist accounts.[ii]  
>> According to legend, the finding of this icon signalled that the 
>> Mother of God was �taking power over Orthodox Rus�,�[iii] or that she 
>> �took on Supreme Tsarist power over Russia and over the people,�[iv] 
>> or that she was the only one worthy to take the �Russian scepter� 
>> �from the hands of Saint Nikolai [i.e., tsar Nikolai II].�[v]  In 
>> 1991 myrrh flowed from a Derzhavnaia icon located in Moscow, 
>> prompting one nationalist scholar to ask rherorically: �Perhaps the 
>> Most Holy Sovereign was bearing witness to the fact that, having 
>> accepted the succession to Russian power at the end of the Orthodox 
>> monarchy in 1917, She was not abandoning Her protective rule in this 
>> new Time of Troubles as well?�[vi]
>>
>>
>> [i] .  Filadel�f 1998, 254; Dorenskaia 1999, 59-63; Orekhov 2000, 
>> 165-73; Zevakhin 1996, fig. 244.
>>
>>
>> [ii] .   Skazanie o iavlenii Presviatoi Bogoroditsy v g. Budennovske 
>> 18 iiunia 1995 goda i napisanii ikony Ee Sviato-Krestovskoi, 1999, 4.
>>
>>
>> [iii] .  Vladimir 1995, 2.
>>
>>
>> [iv] .  Dorenskaia 1999, 60.
>>
>>
>> [v] .  Orekhov 2000, 167.
>>
>>
>> [vi] .  Liubomudrov 2000, 160.
>>
>>
>
> Regards to the list,
> Daniel Rancour-Laferriere
>
>
>
> On Oct 22, 2009, at 7:32 AM, Michele A. Berdy wrote:
>
> With icons, I don't think you're going to find much scholarly or 
> peer-reviewed literature -- especially about one that was found via 
> visions in March 1917. Here's a link for Metropolitan Tikhon's report 
> on it, which mentions an archeologist at the time who said that it 
> came from one of the churches in the Voznessensky monastery. 
> http://www.krotov.info/acts/20/1917_19/babkin_12.htm
>
> It sounds as if it were quite an event at the time, so your student 
> might check the newspaper archives.
>
> I seem to recall that it was also a very big event when the icon was 
> returned to the church in Kolomenskoe (where it still is).
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Anthony Anemone" 
> <AnemoneA at NEWSCHOOL.EDU>
> To: <SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu>
> Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2009 5:19 PM
> Subject: [SEELANGS] Derzhavnaya bogoroditsa?
>
>
>> Dear List,
>>
>> Here's another interesting question from another former student. 
>> She's looking
>> for information on an icon that they call "Derzhavnaya" in Russian 
>> and the
>> "Reigning (icon of the mother of God)" in English.  Just about every 
>> website
>> of Orthodoxy mentions this icon and they all tell the same story: the
>> peasant girl who found the icon on March 2, 1917, etc.  but she 
>> haven't been
>> able to find a single scholarly, historical, or peer-reviewed source 
>> that
>> mentions this icon.  Does anyone know anything about this icon?  Is its
>> story a fiction of the post-soviet Orthodox Church?  Any sources?
>>
>> As always, thanks for the help.
>>
>> Tony
>>
>>
>>>
>> -- 
>> Anthony Anemone
>> Chair & Associate Provost of Foreign Languages
>> The New School
>> 212-229-5676 ex. 2355
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>>
>> Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
>> options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
>>                   http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
> options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
>                   http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
>  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
>                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------