38), in the sixth month after the conception of rights. Elizabeth St. John the Baptist, the Archangel Gabriel was sent from God in the year of Nazareth to the Blessed Virgin Mary with the joyful news that the Savior of the world would be born from Her. Entering her, Gabriel said: “Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with you; Blessed are You among women." Mary was embarrassed by the angelic greeting and thought about its meaning, but Gabriel continued: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace with God. And behold, you will conceive in the womb, and you will bear a Son, and you will call His name: Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High... and His Kingdom will have no end.” Mary, perplexed, asked how the fulfillment of this promise was compatible with the observance of the virginal lifestyle she had chosen: “How will it be when I don’t know a husband?” The angel answered Her that the incarnation of the Son of God would be accomplished by the miraculous action of the Holy Spirit: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You; therefore, the holy being born will be called the Son of God. Here is Elizabeth, your relative, called barren, and she conceived a son in her old age, and she is already six months old, for no word will remain powerless with God. Then Mary humbly said: “Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

In history, the feast of the Annunciation was perceived both as the Lord's and as the Mother of God feast. Theodore Prodrom (XII century) in a quatrain names 12 main holidays, among which, with the exception of the Annunciation, there are no Mother of God. The Grottaferrata Typicon (XIII century) mentions the Annunciation among the 14 Lord's feasts. Since the XIV century, with the inclusion in the list of the twelfth holidays, first of the Assumption, and then of other Mother of God holidays, the Annunciation becomes one of them.

Unlike the Orthodox Church, where the Annunciation is considered one of the most important holidays, it is a minor holiday in the Roman Catholic Church.

Establishment of a holiday

Images of the Annunciation are already present among the murals of the catacombs of the second half - the first half of the 3rd century; in Ravenna (after 400) and in Rome, among the mosaics of the triumphal arch of the church of Santa Maria Maggiore (432-440), executed under Pope Sixtus III (432-440), nevertheless, it can be argued with a high degree of probability that the establishment special holiday The Annunciation took place no earlier than c.

Prayers

Troparion, tone 4

Kontakion, tone 8

magnificence

Literature

• Martene E. De antiquis ecclesiae ritibus. Antw., 1737. Vol. 3. P. 588;
• Khoynatsky A., priest. Feast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God in the Roman Catholic Church // PO. 1873. No. 6. S. 1001-1011;
• Vinogradov N. Canon for the Annunciation of the Blessed. Theotokos as an example of church-liturgical poetry. M., 1888;
• Debolsky G.S., prot. Days of worship of the Orthodox Church. SPb., 1901. M., 1996. T. 1. S. 121-128;
• Kellner H. Heortologie oder das Kirchenjahr und die Heiligenfeste in ihrer geschichtlichen Entwicklung. Freiburg i. Br., 1901. S. 196;
• Conybeare F. C. Rituale Armenorum, being the Administration of the Sacraments and the Breviary Rites of the Armenian Church. Oxf., 1905;
• Cabrol F. Annunciation (Fête de l") // DACL. Vol. 1. T. 2. Col. 2241-2255;
• Petrovsky A. Annunciation // PBE. T. 2. S. 619-622;
• Kekelidze K., prot. Jerusalem Gunner of the 7th century (Georgian version). Tiflis, 1912;
• Skaballanovich M. Christmas. K., 1915. M., 1995. (Christ. holidays; 4);
• he is. Dormition of St. Mother of God. K., 1916. M., 1995. (Christ. holidays; 6);
• Veniamin (Milov), bishop. Readings in Liturgical Theology. K., 19992;
• Mirkoviћ L. Heorthology or historically developed and liturgical celebrations of the Orthodox Church. Beograd, 1961, pp. 44-46;
• Θουντούλης ̓Ι. Εὐαγγελισμὸς τῆς Θεοτόκου // ΘΗΕ. Τ. 5. Σ. 980-982;
• Μπεκατῶρος Γ. G. Εὐαγγελισμὸς τῆς Θεοτόκου: Τάξις λατρείας // Ibid. Σ. 982-983;
• Οἰκονομίδης Δ. B. Εὐαγγελισμὸς τῆς Θεοτόκου: Λαογραφία // Ibid. Σ. 983-985;
• Grosdidier de Matons J. Romanos le Mélode: Hymnes. P., 1965. T. 2. P. 20-40. (SC; 110);
• The most ancient Iadgari / Ed., issled. and comment. E. P. Metreveli, Ts. A. Chankieva, and L. M. Khevsuriani. Tbilisi, 1980;
• Argan J.K. History of Italian Art: Per. from Italian. M., 1990. T. 1;
• Corrado M. Annunciazione: storia, eucologia, theologia, liturgica. R., 1991;
• New Testament Apocrypha. SPb., 2001;
• Kazhdan A.P. History of the Byzantines. Literature: 650-850 SPb., 2002.

Used materials

• S. A. Vanyukov, M. S. Zheltov, K. H. Felmi. Annunciation Holy Mother of God. Orthodox encyclopedia, v. 5

For our readers: the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary with detailed description from various sources.

Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos(church-glory. Annunciation; tracing paper Greek. Εὐαγγελισμός; lat. Annuntiatio - proclamation) - an evangelical event and a Christian holiday dedicated to it; the proclamation by the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary of the future birth in the flesh from her of Jesus Christ.

In Orthodoxy, it belongs to the twelfth holidays. Jerusalem, Russian, Georgian, Serbian Orthodox Churches, as well as the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (within Ukraine), Old Believers and some others celebrate the Annunciation on March 25 (April 7) according to the Julian calendar (in the XX-XXI centuries, March 25 according to the Julian calendar corresponds to April 7 in Gregorian). Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Romanian, Bulgarian, Cypriot, Helladic (Greek), Albanian, Polish, Czech lands and Slovakia, American and Canadian, as well as the Roman Catholic Church and Protestant denominations celebrate March 25 according to the Gregorian calendar.

The plot of the Annunciation

According to the canonical gospels

The events of the Annunciation are described by the only evangelist - the apostle Luke. In his Gospel, he reports that in the sixth month after the conception of Saint John the Baptist by the righteous Elizabeth, the Archangel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth to the Virgin Mary with the news of the impending birth of the Savior of the world from her:

According to a number of theologians, the words of the Archangel Gabriel - " Rejoice, Blessed”- became the first “good” news for mankind after its fall into sin. Theophylact of Bulgaria, in his interpretation of the Gospel of Luke, writes: “Since the Lord said to Eve:“ In sickness you will bear children“(Gen. 3:16), now this illness is resolved by the joy that the Angel brings to the Virgin, saying: rejoice, Blessed One! Because Eve was cursed, Mary now hears: blessed are you».

Doubting (according to Gregory of Neocaesarea, fearing a violation of her virginity), Mary asked the angel a question: “ what will it be like when I don't know my husband?". To which the angel promised a seedless, mysterious conception - “ The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You", and then in confirmation, " that with God no word will remain powerless”, gave the example of her relative Elizabeth.

Mary, seeing the will of God in the words of the angel, utters very significant words: “ behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word". It is believed that at the moment the Virgin Mary uttered these words, the immaculate conception of Jesus Christ took place. Nicholas Cabasilas comments on these words:

The Incarnation was not only the work of the Father, His Power and His Spirit, but also the work of the will and faith of the Blessed Virgin. Without the consent of the Immaculate, without the assistance of Her faith, this plan would have remained unfulfilled just as without the action of the Three Persons of the Divine Trinity Themselves. Only after God has instructed and persuaded the Holy Virgin, He accepts Her in Mother and borrows from Her flesh, which She gladly provides Him with. Just as He voluntarily incarnated, it was also pleasing to Him that His Mother also gave birth to Him freely and of Her own good will.

By her humility and consent, according to Athanasius the Great, Mary expressed her confession of faith. He compares it to a tablet, on which the Scribe writes whatever pleases Him. May the Lord of all write and do what He wills».

According to apocryphal sources

Icon "Virgin Mary at the Well". Mid 19th century, Mstera Mosaic "Annunciation at the well", XIV century. Chora Church, Istanbul

The history of the Annunciation is also reflected in apocryphal texts. It is described in the following apocrypha: “The Proto-Gospel of James” (II century) and “The Book of the Nativity of the Most Blessed Mary and the Childhood of the Savior” (also known as the “Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew”) (not earlier than the IX century). Apocryphal texts do not change the general story about the appearance of the archangel Gabriel to Mary with the news of the birth of the Savior from her, but add to this story a number of details that formed the iconography of this holiday.

According to the apocrypha, it fell to Mary by lot to weave a new curtain of purple for the Jerusalem Temple (“Protoevangelium of James” XI, 1; “The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew: The Book of the Birth of the Blessed Mary and the Childhood of the Savior”, VIII). Going for water, she heard a voice at the well, saying to her: “Rejoice, Blessed One! The Lord is with you; Blessed are You among women." Seeing no one nearby, she, frightened, returned home (this plot is sometimes also called the “foreboding” - that is, preparatory stage to the Annunciation). Sitting at the spinning wheel, Mary saw an angel who reassured her with the words: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for You have found grace from God and will conceive for His glory” (the scene at the well is the prototype of the story of the Old Testament Rebekah, who made Eliezer drunk, sent by her future groom Isaac) .

The apocrypha also emphasizes the mysterious form of conception, and to the question of Mary, “Can I conceive from the living God and give birth, as any woman gives birth?” the angel replies: "Not so, Mary, but the power of the Most High will overshadow you." After the angel left, Mary finished spinning the wool and took it to the high priest, who blessed it, saying: “God has magnified your name, and you will be blessed in all nations on earth.”

Church tradition says that the Virgin Mary, at the moment of the appearance of an angel to her, read an excerpt from the book of the prophet Isaiah with his prophetic words: “Behold, the Virgin will receive in the womb, and give birth to a Son.” For this reason, in the scene of the Annunciation, the Virgin Mary in Western European painting is usually depicted with an open book.

The Annunciation is also mentioned in the Koran (3:45-51, 19:16-26), where this plot does not have such a meaning, since in Islam Jesus is not God, but a prophet.

Related plots

• Righteous Elizabeth (Meeting of Mary and Elizabeth):

The episode of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary by the archangel Gabriel, according to the Gospel of Luke, was preceded by a visit by Gabriel to Zechariah, who was married to Mary's barren relative Elizabeth, during which the herald promised the elderly couple the birth of the future John the Baptist. And after the Annunciation, the Mother of God went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was preparing to leave household chores in connection with her pregnancy. There was a meeting between Mary and Elizabeth, during which Elizabeth became the second, after the angel, and the first of the people who told Mary about the future share of her baby, and uttered the words that became part of many prayers: “ blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”(see Ave Maria, Song of the Most Holy Theotokos).

• Joseph the Betrothed:

According to the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 1:19-24), the archangel Gabriel appeared in a dream to Joseph the Betrothed, the husband of the Virgin Mary, who learned that before their betrothal she had become pregnant, and wished " release her secretly". Gabriel reassured Joseph by saying: do not be afraid to take Mary your wife, for what is born in her is from the Holy Spirit; she will give birth to a Son, and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins". After that, according to the evangelist, Joseph took his wife and did not know her».

"Maesta" Duccio (detail): Gabriel appears to Mary on the eve of her death

• Assumption of the Virgin:

The plot of the Assumption of the Virgin, although it is as far as possible from the Annunciation, still has one similar motive: on the eve of death, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and informed her of her imminent death (assumption). The iconography of the moment is almost indistinguishable.

Symbolic meaning

Since at least the 2nd century, the Annunciation has been seen as the first act in the Christian history of redemption in which the obedience of the Virgin Mary balances the disobedience of Eve (interpretation of Irenaeus of Lyons). Mary becomes the "new Eve". In the text of the famous hymn Ave maris stella(IX century) it is said that the name Eva is an anagram of the word Ave with which Gabriel addressed the "new Eve". In other words, to name Eve meant to mention Mary. Jerome deduced a concise formula: "death - through Eve, life - through Mary." Augustine wrote: "through a woman - death, and through a woman - life."

It is believed that God sent the archangel with the good news on the same day, March 25, on which the Creation of the world took place (for more details on the number, see below), - thus, humanity was given a second chance.

The mystical conception of the Virgin Mary, according to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, refers to the great mystery of piety: in it, humanity brought as a gift to God its purest creation - the Virgin, capable of becoming the mother of the Son of God, and God, having accepted the gift, answered him with the gift of the grace of the Holy Spirit.

The spinning of yarn for the veil of the Jerusalem Temple by Mary at the time of the Annunciation, known from the apocrypha, acquires additional meaning in interpretation, since the yarn becomes an allegory of the flesh of Christ, a symbol of the fact that Mary is chosen to dress the Shrine of the Godhead with the scarlet of her flesh. Andrew of Crete (Great Canon, Canto VIII) writes: “As from the conversion of the scarlet, the Most Pure, clever purple of Emmanuel, the flesh is woven inside in Your womb: we truly honor Thee with the same Mother of God” (“As from colored purple in Your womb, the Most Pure One, weaved mental porphyry - Emmanuel's flesh"). The Epistle to the Hebrews of the Apostle Paul (Heb. 10:19-20) compares the veil of the Temple with the flesh of Christ: eat his own flesh." This likeness is based, in particular, on the fact that the veil that closed the entrance to the Holy of Holies was torn at the moment of the Crucifixion from top to bottom (Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45), also the body of Christ was crucified so that His blood would open access to the heavenly sanctuary.

Feast of the Annunciation

Name

The modern name of the holiday - Εὐαγγελισμός ("Annunciation") - began to be used no earlier than the 7th century. The ancient church called it differently:

• By- Greek: ἡμέρα ἀσπασμοῦ ( hello day), ἀγγελισμός ( proclamation), ἡμέρα / ἑορτή τοῦ εὐαγγελισμοῦ ( day / feast of the Annunciation), χαιρετισμός (from the beginning of the angelic greeting χαῖρε, κέχαριτωμένη - “rejoice, full of grace” (Luke 1:28));
• By- latin: annuntiatio angeli ad beatam Mariam Virginem ( Angel's Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary), Mariae salutatio ( Mary's greeting), annuntiatio sanctae Mariae de conceptione ( Annunciation of St. Mary on conception), annuntiatio Christi ( Annunciation of Christ), conceptio Christi ( Conception of Christ), initium redemptionis ( Beginning of redemption), festum incarnationis ( Feast of the Incarnation).

The full name of the feast of the Annunciation in Russian Orthodox Church defined in minae: "Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary". It should be noted that in the Greek and Church Slavonic languages ​​the word "Annunciation" requires the genitive case after itself, but when translated into Russian, both genitive and dative cases are possible, that is, "Annunciation to Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary." Usually in modern editions the first version is used, obviously, not without the influence of the Church Slavonic language, however, the use of the second is also known.

The modern official name of this holiday in the Roman Catholic Church - Annuntiatio Domini Iesu Christi ("Annunciation of the Lord Jesus Christ") - was adopted after the Second Vatican Council. Before that, the variant was used: Annuntiatio beatae Mariae Virginis ("Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary").

Determination of the date and history of the establishment of the holiday

For the first time, the date March 25 appears in the writings of Western authors of the 3rd century - Tertullian and the Hieromartyr Hippolytus of Rome as the day of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ according to the Roman calendar. This circumstance formed the basis of the Alexandrian and later Byzantine chronological systems identifying the date of the Annunciation and Pascha.

There are two approaches to determining the date of the Annunciation:

1. Connection with the date of the Nativity of Christ: March 25 is exactly 9 months away (the period of human pregnancy) from December 25, which no later than the 4th century was universally accepted as the date of the Nativity of Christ.
2. Relationship with the date of creation of man: a number of church authors (Athanasius the Great, Anastasius of Antioch) believe that the Annunciation and the conception of Jesus Christ took place on March 25, since on this day, according to one group of legends, God created man, and man, burdened with original sin, must be recreated on that day the time at which he was created (that is, redemption began).

The establishment of this holiday in Constantinople is attributed approximately to the middle of the 6th century as a result of the process of "historicization" of the gospel celebrations in the liturgical calendar, but there is no certainty on this issue. So, Gregory of Neocaesarea (3rd century) has a "Discourse on the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos" and John Chrysostom in his writings calls the Annunciation "the first feast" and "the root of the feasts"; It can be assumed that the Church was already celebrating the Annunciation at this time. The celebration of the Annunciation is evidenced by a building in Nazareth, on the site where the Annunciation is believed to have taken place, by the Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena at the beginning of the 4th century Basilicas of the Annunciation. At the same time, at the beginning of the 8th century, the Armenian author Grigor Arsharuni wrote that the holiday was established by St. Cyril I, Bishop of Jerusalem, in the middle of the 4th century. However, Bishop Abraham of Ephesus (between 530 and 553) testifies that not a single sermon dedicated to the Annunciation was written before him. In the 7th century the Annunciation began to be celebrated in Rome and Spain; Gaul accepted it only in the 8th century.

In the 6th century, Roman the Melodist wrote a kontakion (in the early sense of the term) of the Annunciation. The hymnography of the holiday was supplemented in the 8th century by the works of John of Damascus and Theophanes, Metropolitan of Nicaea, who compiled the canon of the holiday in the form of a dialogue between the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel.

Other dates for the celebration of the Annunciation

The celebration of the Annunciation on the day of March 25 is common, but not generally accepted. There are several liturgical rites in which this holiday, which in its meaning precedes the Nativity of Christ, belongs to the pre-Christmas period:

• In the Ambrose rite, the Annunciation of the Virgin is celebrated on the last (sixth) Sunday of Advent, that is, on the Sunday between December 18 and 24.
• In the Spanish-Mozarabic rite, according to some sources, the Annunciation is prescribed to be celebrated twice - except for March 25, a holiday with the same name (Annunciation of the Blessed Mary the Virgin) is also indicated for December 18, that is, exactly one week before the Nativity of Christ. This date is the main one, the celebration on this day was officially confirmed in 656 by the Tenth Council of Toledo, since the traditional date for the Christian world, March 25, fell on Great Lent or the Easter period. The celebration of the Annunciation on March 25 is not indicated in any of the known manuscript Mozarabic sources, however, in the Liber Ordinum Episcopal de Santo Domingo de Silos (XI century), it is prescribed to commemorate the Conception of the Lord on this day. In the first printed missal of Cardinal Jimenez (1500), the celebration of the "Annunciation of the Blessed Mary" is indicated for both December 18 and March 25, which was probably done under the influence of the Roman rite. In the new (reformed) Spanish missal, the date of March 25 is not marked with any memory, and the celebration of "Saint Mary" is assigned to December 18. In terms of its content, this holiday is a kind of prefeast of the Nativity of Christ, the theme of the annunciation of the angel of St. The virgin is not developed, and the main theme of prayers and hymns on this day is the Incarnation.

• In the East Syriac rite there is a whole six-week period of the Annunciation, which includes four Sundays before and two after the Nativity of Christ. The second of the Sundays before Christmas is dedicated to the Annunciation itself.

celebration

In the Orthodox Church

The Church in the East at various times considered the Annunciation to be both the Mother of God and the Lord's feast. At present, it is one of the twelve great feasts and usually refers to the feasts of the Theotokos, which is why blue liturgical vestments are assigned to it.

In the Jerusalem Rule, currently adopted in the Greek and Russian Churches, the Annunciation has one day of fore-feast and one day of after-feast, on which the Cathedral of the Archangel Gabriel is celebrated. The forefeast and afterfeast are postponed if the Annunciation happens on Passion or Bright Week.

The date of the holiday falls between Thursday of the 3rd week of Great Lent and Wednesday of Bright Week inclusive, that is, during the period of singing the Lenten or Colored Triodion; The holiday is never transferred to another day.

A number of liturgical features for the period of singing the Lenten Triodion bring it closer to the feasts of the Nativity of Christ and the Baptism of the Lord. So, if the feast of the Annunciation occurs on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday of any week of Fortecost (part of Great Lent until Friday of the sixth week, the eve of Lazarus Saturday), and also on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday of Holy Week, then the all-night vigil begins Great Compline, and not Vespers, as usual; if the holiday falls on the Week (Sunday) or Monday of Fortecost or any day of Bright Week, then the all-night vigil is performed in the usual way, that is, great vespers begins; Vespers begin at Matins, if the Annunciation is on Great Friday (Friday of Passion Week) or Great Saturday. At Matins, the Great Doxology is sung when the feast falls on Saturday or the Week of Lent; on other days it is read; does not rely on Bright Week at all.

When the Annunciation happens on Pascha (Kyriopascha), there is no polyeleos, but the canon of the Annunciation is combined with the Paschal canon and after the sixth ode of the canon, the gospel readings of the Annunciation are read (at Matins Luke 1:39-49, at the liturgy Luke 1:24-38 ).

The special significance of the feast of the Annunciation is emphasized by the fact that the 52nd canon of the Sixth Ecumenical Council established that on the day of the Annunciation, despite Great Lent, a full liturgy should be performed. According to the Typicon, general rule serve the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and if the holiday falls on Lenten Sunday (Week), as well as Thursday or Saturday of Passion Week, then the liturgy of Basil the Great. If the Annunciation happens on Good Friday, then - as the only exception for this day - a liturgy should be performed (according to the Typicon, the liturgy of John Chrysostom is served).

On the Annunciation (if it does not fall on Holy Week), along with the feast of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem, the charter allows the consumption of fish, wine and oil. According to the Greek Typicon, the celebration of the Annunciation, if it falls on Good Friday or Saturday, is transferred to the first day of Easter.

The liturgical texts, in addition to describing the very event of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, also speak of the incomprehensibility of the Nativity of the Savior from the Mother of God, and Mary herself is compared with the “dock” and “ladder” from the vision of Jacob. Through festive hymns, the church conveys to believers the following dogmatic provisions: thanks to the birth of the Savior from the Mother of God, heaven is again united with the earth, Adam is renewed, Eve is freed, and all people become involved in the Divine. The canon of the holiday sings of the greatness of the Most Holy Theotokos, who received God into herself, and also contains indications of Old Testament prophecies about the incarnation of the Son of God.

hymnography

The modern hymnographic formulary of the services of the feast of the Annunciation to a large extent goes back to the Studian Rule and has a commonality with the service of the Sabbath of the Akathist (Saturday of the 5th week of Great Lent).

Troparion of the holiday	Σήμερον τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν τὸ κεφάλαιον, καὶ τοῦ ἀπ’ αἰῶνος μυστηρίου ἡ φανέρωσις· ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, Υἱὸς τῆς Παρθένου γίνεται, καὶ Γαβριὴλ τὴν χάριν εὐαγγελίζεται. Διὸ καὶ ἡμεῖς σὺν αὐτῷ, τῇ Θεοτόκῳ βοήσωμεν· Χαῖρε Κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ.	Today our salvation is the main thing, and even from the age of the sacrament is a manifestation; The Son of God is the Son of the Virgin, and Gabriel proclaims grace. In the same way, we will cry out to the Theotokos with him: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!
Holiday kontakion	Τῇ Ὑπερμάχῳ Στρατηγῷ τὰ νικητήρια, ὡς λυτρωθεῖσα τῶν δεινῶν εὐχαριστήρια, ἀναγράφω σοι ἡ Πόλις σου, Θεοτόκε. Ἀλλ’ ὡς ἔχουσα τὸ κράτος ἀπροσμάχητον ἐκ παντοίων με κινδύνων ἐλευθέρωσον, ἵνα κράζω σοι· Χαῖρε, Νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε.	Victorious to the chosen Voivode, as if having got rid of the evil ones, thankful we will describe Thy servants, O Theotokos, but as if having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, but we call Thee: Rejoice, Blessed Bride!

The kontakion of the holiday is often attributed to Roman the Melodist, but in reality the modern text is a later one (although it retains the original ending Χαῖρε, Νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε ) and is the proimium (the first kontakion) Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos. According to the ancient custom of the Russian Church in the churches of the Russian liturgical tradition, it is also customary to sing it at the First Hour through the prayer "Christ, the True Light", although it is not in the statutory order.

The gospel words of the Archangel Gabriel and the righteous Elizabeth formed a well-known prayer - Song of the Blessed Virgin Mary: « Virgin Mother of God, rejoice, Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you; Blessed are you in women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, as if the Savior gave birth to our souls". This prayer is part of the cell (home) prayers of believers, and is also a troparion for Sunday Vespers.

In the Roman Catholic Church

In the Roman Church, the Annunciation had the status of a "holiday" (festum), inferior to that of a solemnity; only in 1895 was the Annunciation officially included in the number of "celebrations".

In the West, historically, the Annunciation was considered the feast of the Mother of God and, to a lesser extent, the feast of the Incarnation of Christ. After the liturgical reform of the 20th century, the holiday was also included among the holidays dedicated to the Savior, and the name "Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary" was changed to "Annunciation of the Lord Jesus Christ", although both names are used in many liturgical calendars. The Annunciation continues to be present in the list of the Mother of God holidays.

In the Latin rite, the celebration of the Annunciation, which falls on one of the Sundays of Great Lent, is transferred to the next Monday; if the holiday falls on Holy Week or Easter week (Easter Octave), then on Monday of the 2nd week of Easter. In the calendar of the Byzantine rite, the Annunciation may fall on different days of Great Lent or at the very beginning of the Easter period. In the Ambrosian rite, the last (sixth) Sunday of Advent is dedicated to the remembrance of the Annunciation, in the Mozarabic it is December 18th.

The liturgical vestments of priests on the feast of the Annunciation are white, as on the days of the holidays dedicated to the Savior and the Mother of God, and not purple, as on ordinary days of Great Lent.

There is a Catholic female monastic congregation of the Dominican Annunciation or Dominican Annunciate (Dominicas de la Anunciata, DA), close in spirituality to the Dominican Order. The congregation was founded in 1856 by the Dominican Saint Francisco Col Guitart in Spain; later, communities of this congregation appeared in France, the countries of America and Africa. The sisters of this congregation care for the sick and participate in the education of children and youth.

Liturgical prayers and hymns

Archangel Gabriel, "The Altar of Alberodi", Titian. Fragment. In the hands of the archangel is a scroll with the words he uttered: "Hail, Mary, full of grace"

entrance chant	Dominus ingrediens mundum dixit: Ecce venio ut faciam, Deus, voluntatem tuam.	Christ, entering into the world, says: behold, I go to do thy will, O God
Collective	Deus, qui Verbum tuum in utero Virginis Mariae veritatem carnis humanae suscipere voluisti, concede, quaesumus, ut, qui Redemptorem nostrum Deum et hominem confitémur, ipsius etiam divinae naturae mereamur esse consortes. Per Dominum	God, You deigned that Your Word in the womb of the Virgin Mary should take on human flesh; vouchsafe us, who confess our Redeemer as God and Man, to become partakers of His divine nature. We ask You through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever.
Prayer over the Gifts	Ecclesiae tuae munus, omnipotens Deus, dignare suscipere, ut, quae in Unigeniti tui incarnatione primordia sua constare cognoscit, ipsius gaudeat hac sollemnitate celebrare mysteria. Per Christum	Almighty God, the incarnation of Your Only Begotten Son became the beginning of Your Church; accept her gifts and let her joyfully perform the Holy Sacrament on the day of this celebration. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion chant	Ecce Virgo concipiet et pariet Filium, et vocabitur nomen eius Emmanuel	Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel.

hymnography

Two Catholic hymns are closely connected with the meaning and events of the feast of the Annunciation - the Ave Maria prayer, the first part of which is the greeting of the archangel, said by him to the Blessed Virgin at the moment of the Annunciation, and the thanksgiving hymn of the Virgin - Magnificat (My soul magnifies the Lord), given in the Gospel of Luke .

Folk traditions and customs

In the Slavic folk tradition, the Annunciation is "God's biggest holiday," even "a bird does not nest." On the Annunciation, spring overcame winter. Spring is calling for the third and last time. In some places, on the night of this day, bonfires were lit on the ground - they “burned the winter” and “warmed the spring”. Straw, garbage, rags, old shoes, horse and cow dung were burned in the fire. Dances were made around the bonfires, songs were sung, and people jumped over the fire. There was a custom to put the image of the "holiday" in a tub with spring grain intended for sowing, calling "to favor the Mother of God and Gabriel the Archangel with the harvest." The peasants believed that the sky opens on the Annunciation. At this time, you can “beg glory for yourself from God. And as you have fame, you will definitely become rich and happy.” Therefore, on the evening of the Annunciation, people went out into the street to look at the sky in search of an abyss with a big star on it. At that moment, as the sky opens, it was necessary to shout: “God, give me great glory!” “At the beginning of spring, especially on March 25 - on the day of the good news about the incarnation of the “righteous sun” of Christ - and on the feast of his Bright Resurrection, there is a custom to release birds from their cages.” It is believed that this custom is related to the Assyro-Babylonian spring cleansing rite of releasing birds.

In fine arts

This lyrical and festive subject has long been popular in religious painting. He is easily recognizable by the poses of the characters and attributes. Iconographic schemes began to take shape very early. The first images appeared already in the II century in the Roman catacombs, for example, on the wall of the tomb of St. Priscilla. They were finally formed in the Middle Ages, finding the most complete embodiment in the works of the 15th century. In the Western European painting of the proto-Renaissance, it is especially worth noting the works of Fra Beato Angelico, Simone Martini; from the Renaissance works - paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli, and from the northern works - by Jan van Eyck, Robert Campin and Rogier van der Weyden. In the next era, several memorable paintings were painted by El Greco. Starting from the Baroque era, as happened with other plots, many liberties and digressions penetrate into the interpretation of this plot (see, for example, the work of the Pre-Raphaelite Rossetti, below).

Iconographic canons developed from the early Christian ones and remain basically unchanged in Byzantine and Russian iconography (with the exception of some influence of Western European iconography in the 17th-18th centuries, which has disappeared by our time).

Main Attributes

• lily- a symbol of the purity of the Virgin Mary and the purity of spiritual thoughts and piety in general. Depicted in the hand of Mary, Gabriel, or simply in the interior, in a vase. 7 lily flowers - the seven joys of Mary.
• spinning wheel, spindle (with red yarn) - a symbol of the fact that Mary is chosen to dress the Shrine of the Godhead with the scarlet of her flesh, the image of the flesh of Christ. In the hand of Mary, a servant (cf. Moira) or simply in the interior. Over time, it loses its popularity to the image of the book.
• Book of Isaiah, which Mary reads (sometimes the words are visible: "Behold the Virgin in the womb will receive"(Isaiah 7:14)). It usually lies on lectern.
• paradise branch in the hand of the archangel Gabriel; olive branch as a symbol of reconciliation between God and creation. Sometimes instead of her a trident, a staff or a messenger's rod. The image may be accompanied by a scroll with words of welcome.
• a ray of light in which the Holy Spirit descends.
• well- a symbol of the purity of Mary, fons hortorum (garden spring). Rarely shown. Evolved into vase in which the lily stands.
• jug, with which Mary returned from the well (rarely depicted).
• martin- a symbol of spring and sunrise, hope and rebirth (rarely depicted).

Painting by a Bavarian master, around 1500. God the Father is depicted in a medallion in the upper left corner; the Holy Spirit descends from him in the form of a dove. Madonna's garden is securely enclosed by a fortress wall. A flower pot with a lily separates the Virgin and the archangel Painting by Rogier van der Weyden. Vase with a lily - in the lower left corner. Oversized canopy bed done in bright red, flesh tones of crimson

Image of Gabriel

Winged Gabriel is depicted kneeling in front of a seated Virgin (option - the archangel hovers above the ground, unsteadily touching her foot). As a rule, one of his hands is raised in greeting, and the other in a blessing gesture. The pose of an angel goes back to the images of the herald in ancient art. On the oldest image of the Annunciation, a fresco in the Roman catacombs, the archangel Gabriel is depicted as a Roman official herald and orator. Angel wings appear only from the 5th-6th centuries.

In iconography, it was customary for one wing to remain stretched out behind the back, and the other to be raised as a sign of greeting. This symbolic movement has entered the Orthodox liturgical system and is performed by the deacon during the pronunciation of litanies. He raises with his right hand an orarion - an image of the uplifting of the Archangel's wing as a sign of greeting and respect. In Catholicism, this tradition was not observed literally. If the archangel has a mournful face and a pose expressing his indecision and hesitation, then this exactly corresponds to the description of the mood of this event in the Byzantine homiletics (Andrew of Crete, James of Kokkinovafsky).

According to Herminia Dionysius Fournoagrafiot, Gabriel, standing in front of Mary, blesses her with his right hand, and holds a blossoming lily in his left hand.

Image of Mary

Mary may be standing, seated, or kneeling, with her hands folded across her chest in a gesture of heartfelt prayer, or in some form of surprise. For example, hands can express doubt (one hand is pressed to the chest, and the other is open towards Gabriel). Usually Mary is written on the right side of the picture - this has become the standard since the 6th-7th centuries. Next to Mary, her words of consent can be written (Ecce ancilla Domini). Sometimes they are written upside down to make it easier for God the Father to see them.

In Orthodox iconography, Mary is traditionally depicted standing in the temple with her head tilted slightly. Mary holds a ball of silk in her right hand, extending her left to the angel.

Between both figures there may be some pronounced separating element, for example, a column or a vase with a high shoot of a lily (in this case, it becomes the central point of the picture as a symbol of virginity). They can also be separated even physically: on different wings of a diptych (work by Botticelli in the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts), on the Royal Gates or on tympanums, arches separated by an opening (for example, Giotto's frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel), temple pillars (Kyiv Sofia ). In some ancient manuscripts, the figures were located opposite each other on both sides of the text.

The almost complete mirroring of the pose of the Virgin by the archangel and giving it as feminine features as possible is the result of the desire to eliminate any sexual aspect of the “man-woman” dialogue and give the scene the most spiritual content.

Image of the Holy Spirit and God the Father

Usually the Holy Spirit is also present in the form of a dove and a beam of light in which the bird descends. The dove may be in a golden spinning disc. On the icons, in the place where the ray touches the body of the Mother of God, a figure of a baby in a mandorla, symbolizing the Incarnation, can be depicted.

In medieval works, there are also images of God the Father, sometimes in the form of a right hand in the clouds or a face looking down from heaven. There were also images of the Holy Spirit in the form of a baby (Christ Child) flying to the Virgin Mary and carrying a cross, with or without a dove. But later this iconography was recognized as heretical, since Mary was supposed to conceive a baby, and not receive it from heaven. Medallions with the image of the prophet Isaiah can be inscribed in the architectural environment.

Scene

Canonical and apocryphal texts divided the scene into two episodes: the proto-Annunciation, which took place at the well, outside the house, and the Annunciation itself - inside, in the house. The iconography of Mary at the well has been known since the 7th century, but is gradually disappearing.

Most often, the action takes place in the interior. In Western painting, from the 15th century, the bedroom and, in particular, the bed appear. There can also be a combination of two scenes of action, with a breakthrough of space outward in order to demonstrate to the viewer the place of the previous event - Mary, hearing a voice at the well. Some works contain a secondary scene in the background - the image of Joseph the Betrothed, busy with work or listening to the angel's command not to let go of his wife (Matt. 1:19-24).

The landscape, especially in iconography, may not be an image of a real carpenter's house in Nazareth, but an surreal one: an image of Heavenly Jerusalem. In this case, the throne-altar of Mary is written, golden wall and the temple-palace, the Garden of Eden. The image of the constructions of the house is also a sign that the Virgin has become the God-bearing chamber: the human incarnation of God has begun. The Mother of God herself is glorified as a "animate temple" where the Lord dwells. To designate the interior in icon painting, a velum is often used, thrown from one building to another, also interpreted as a symbol of the connection between the Old and New Testaments.

Over time, the landscape is almost completely replaced by the interior. The space becomes closed and cramped, associated with closeness and virginity. And if the depicted garden is visible, then this is already hortus conclusus behind reliable wall, a direct symbol of the womb and virginity ("Vertograd prisoner"). Moreover, in the most complete form of iconography, it is shown not through doorway, and through a window, preferably glazed (an analogy with the hymen, which precedes the entrance to the womb). In this case, the fertilizing ray of light, if it penetrates through the window, acquires an additional subtext, which, nevertheless, is read only in signs and is lost against the background of the general spiritual mood of the scene. In the 15th century, the allegorical depiction of the Annunciation as a mystical hunt for a unicorn gained popularity in Western European art.

Orthodox tradition

The Orthodox Church, considering the Annunciation to be the same name as the Gospel (in Greek, “good news”), places the icon of this holiday on the Royal Doors, surrounded by four evangelists. Thus, all the symbolism of the Royal Doors turns out to be connected with the gospel: “ … through the Annunciation, the Word became the flesh that we can partake of in Communion. And we can take part in this Eternal Meal only because we are called by the apostles-evangelizers". The gates are an additional symbol of the Mother of God (an image from the Old Testament prophecy of Ezekiel about the “enclosed” doors facing the east, through which the Lord enters). Before the appearance of high iconostases in Orthodox churches, this scene, also divided in two, was placed in the temple on the western faces of the eastern domed pillars, on the border of the altar and the main part of the temple, and the image of the Archangel is located on the left support, and the Mother of God - on the right, for example, as in Kiev Hagia Sophia (north-east and south-east pillars; the earliest "Annunciation" in Russian art, 1040s). Sometimes the images were applied in other places - on the triumphal arch, on the walls and vault.

Some basic images: at the fount, with a spindle, in a temple, Our Lady of the Incarnation, the Annunciation with a book, etc. The Proto-Annunciation and the Annunciation are usually presented as part of the hallmarks of the icons of the Akathist of the Mother of God. Among Russian icons on this subject, it is worth noting "Ustyug Annunciation"(Veliky Novgorod) and the icons of Rublev and Daniil Cherny, as well as the fresco of Dionysius in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin of the Ferapontov Monastery. The works of Borovikovsky belong to a later time.

There are a large number of churches dedicated to this holiday (the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kazan Kremlin, the Annunciation Cathedral in Solvychegodsk, the Church of the Annunciation over the Golden Gates of Kiev (not preserved), the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Annunciation Lane of Moscow (not preserved), on Yakimanka ; on the Vorontsov Field; in the Ferapontov Monastery, the Church of the Annunciation in Arkazhy (Veliky Novgorod), etc.). There were also several Orthodox Annunciation monasteries (see Cathedral of the Annunciation (disambiguation), Church of the Annunciation (disambiguation), Annunciation Monastery (disambiguation)).

The Annunciation became the source of numerous Russian toponyms ( Blagoveshchensk, Blagoveshchenskoe etc.) and a seminary surname Blagoveshchensky.

In literature

Among the literary works based on the plot are known:

• Erotic youthful poem by Pushkin "Gavriliad".
• Dramatic poem by Paul Claudel "The Good News of Mary".
• Romance "San Gabriel (Seville)" by Federico Garcia Lorca from the cycle "Gypsy Romancero".

Other information

• The Annunciation, March 25 according to the Gregorian calendar, is a national holiday in Greece. On this day in 1821, Metropolitan Herman of Patra raised the banner of an uprising that led to the independence of the Greeks in part of Hellas.
• Kontakion of the Feast of the Annunciation - " Chosen Governor”, one of the Orthodox chants loved by the people, was written in honor of the deliverance of Constantinople in 626 from the invasion of Persians and barbarians, including Avars and Slavs.
• Until 1752, the days of the new year in England were counted from the day of the Annunciation.
• The coincidence of the Annunciation with the first day of Easter - Kyriopaskha - is a very rare event, possible only in those Orthodox Churches that adhere to the Julian calendar. Kyriopaskha was in 1991; the next one will be in 2075.
• "Annunziata" - highest order Holy Annunciation, an Italian cavalier order, established in 1362 by Amedeo VI, Count of Savoy, as a distinctive sign of the knightly order of the Annunciation. Since 1725, the highest order of the Sardinian kingdom, has one class. Among his knights were Alexander III, Nicholas II and Tsarevich Alexei. One of his cavaliers is Emperor Akihito of Japan.
• According to a long tradition, it is customary in Russia to release birds into the wild on the Annunciation. This is done as a reminder of the Good News and freedom, which are given not only to people, but to all of God's creation. Following this custom, every year the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' releases a flock of pigeons from the porch of the Cathedral of the Annunciation. A. S. Pushkin wrote a poem on this subject: “In a foreign land I sacredly observe / The native custom of antiquity: / I release a bird into the wild / At the bright holiday of spring.”
• In the "Annunciations", written by the masters of the Sienese school, sometimes you can not find the traditional lily, the symbol of the Madonna. The reason is that the lily was also a symbol of Florence, which was then at war with Siena, and the artists did not want to depict the emblem of the enemy.

see also

• Meeting of Mary and Elizabeth
• Liturgical year in the Roman rite
• Orthodox holidays

Notes

1. See Old Calendar Churches
2. Bishop Alexander (Mileant). Feast of the Annunciation. The beginning of our salvation.
3. Interpretation of Theophylact of Bulgaria on the Gospel of Luke. Ch. 1.
4. Gregory of Neocaesarea. Conversation 1. On the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos.
5. Schema-Archimandrite John (Maslov). The Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos: on Divine Services.
6. Nicholas Cavasila. Sermon on the Annunciation (quoted from: Lossky V. N. Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church. - M., 1991).
7. Athanasius the Great. From the interpretation of the Gospel of Luke.
8. Hieromonk Ephraim (Prosyanok). Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.
9. Apocrypha of ancient Christians. - St. Petersburg, 1992.
10. Annunciation. Iconography at icon-art.info
11. Kvlividze N.V. Mother of God // Orthodox Encyclopedia. - M .: Church and Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia", 2002. - T. V. - S. 488. - 752 p. - 39,000 copies. - ISBN 5-89572-010-2.
12. Jacques Delarin. Through the Eyes of the Church // History of Women. Silence of the Middle Ages. - St. Petersburg, 2009. - S. 32.
13. S. Hieronymus. PL 22, col. 408.
14. S. Augustinus. PL 38, col. 1108.
15. About the concept great piety mystery» see 1 Tim. 3:16.
16. New Study Geneva Bible: New Testament
17. N.V. Kvlividze. Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin // Orthodox Encyclopedia. - M.: Church-Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia", 2002. - T. V. - S. 256. - 752 p. - 39,000 copies. - ISBN 5-89572-010-2.
18. Compare, for example, the management of single-root words: notification (who?) of the people, notification (who?) of the buyer.
19. See, for example, the publication: Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos. Service for the feast of the Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, with the addition of menaean tales, selected articles, explanatory notes and musical chants. - M.: Synodal printing house, 1902.
20. On the date of the Annunciation according to the Church Fathers Archived April 3, 2008.
21. Vanyukov C. The Feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Byzantine and Slavic Liturgical Tradition// Theological collection. 2002. No. 10. P. 139.
22. Encyclopedia of rituals and customs
23. Cabrol. Col. 2245-2246.
24. S. I. NIKITIN Ambrosian rite // Orthodox Encyclopedia. - M.: Church-Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia", 2001. - T. II. - S. 111-117. - 752 p. - 40,000 copies. - ISBN 5-89572-007-2.
25. Jenner, H. Mozarabic Rite-3. The liturgical year. - A site dedicated to the Mozarab rite. Retrieved March 17, 2010. Archived from the original on August 18, 2011.
26. Liber Ordinum Episcopal Calendar
27. Missale Mixtum Calendar
28. Hispano-Mozarabicum calendar
29. A. A. Tkachenko. East Syriac Rite // Orthodox Encyclopedia. - M.: Church-Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia", 2005. - T. IX. - S. 475-484. - 752 p. - 39,000 copies. - ISBN 5-89572-015-3.
30. Liturgy of the Orthodox Church (reprint edition 1912). M.: Dar, 2005. S. 420-421.
31. Translation: Today is the beginning of our salvation and the manifestation of the mystery that existed before all ages: the Son of God is the Son of the Virgin, and Gabriel preaches the good news. Therefore, we will exclaim to the Theotokos with him: Rejoice, O Gracious One, the Lord is with Thee!
32. Translation: To you, the supreme Commander, having got rid of troubles, we, Your unworthy servants, Mother of God, sing a song of victory and thanksgiving. But you, who have invincible power, free us from all troubles so that we cry out to You: rejoice, Bride who has not entered into marriage!
33. The Feast of the Annunciation Article in Catholic Encyclopedia (1907).
34. Liturgical calendar at catholicculture.org Archived May 31, 2013 at the Wayback Machine
35. Feasts of the Theotokos in the General Roman Calendar
36. Afanasiev A. N. Russian people. Complete illustrated encyclopedia - M.: Eksmo, 2005.
37. Emelyanov V.V. Assyro-Babylonian rite of release of birds (addition to the article by V.K. Shileiko "Native antiquity") // Bestiary II: Asian zoomorphisms: movement in time. St. Petersburg: MAE, 2012. S. 99-110.
38. Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (inaccessible link)
39. Krug G.I. Thoughts on the icon. Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Archived April 3, 2008 at the Wayback Machine
40. Hall, James. Dictionary of plots and symbols in art = James Hall; introduction by Kenneth Clark. Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art / Per. from English. and introductory article by A. Maykapar. - M.: "Kron-press", 1996. - 656 p. - 15,000 copies. - ISBN 5-323-01078-6.
41. Iconography of the Annunciation
42. Annunciation. In: Fundamentals of Iconography of Old Russian Painting
43. "Annunciation". Icon, Monastery of St. Catherine (Sinai)
44. Iconography of the Feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos at pravoslavie.ru
45. Symbolism in Narrative: A Look at Bernat Martorell's The Annunciation Archived November 17, 2007.
46. "Annunciation" Botticelli, State Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin, Moscow
47. Annunciation to Mary - Iconography Archived August 30, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
48. Annunciation. New Testament scenes in painting (inaccessible link - story). Retrieved November 9, 2007. Archived from the original on October 18, 2007.
49. Mary and Fountain in Art
50. The Image of Heavenly Jerusalem in Eastern Christian Iconography
51. Holiday icons. Annunciation Archived March 9, 2003.
52. « Vertograd prisoner» (Information and educational site of the Kazan diocese)
53. The virgin annunciate in Italian art of the late middle ages and renaissance, College Literature, Summer 2002 by Scaff, Susan von Rohr Archived from the original on June 29, 2006.
54. Dubrovskaya E. In search of a unicorn: between myth and reality // Historical magazine. - 2007. - No. 12.
55. Andrey Kuraev, deacon. Annunciation
56. Iconography of the Feast of the Annunciation at pravoslavie.ru
57. Annunciation. Mosaic of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. 1040s Archived April 3, 2008 at the Wayback Machine
58. Annunciation at icon-art.info
59. L. A. Shchennikova."The Annunciation of Ustyug" Icon of the Mother of God // Orthodox Encyclopedia. - M .: Church-Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia", 2002. - T. V. - 752 p. - 39,000 copies. - ISBN 5-89572-010-2.
60. Chosen governor is victorious // Orthodox newspaper(Ekaterinburg). - 1999. - No. 5.
61. Catholic Annunciation. History and features of the holiday
62. Photo report about the holiday of the Annunciation on the Mercy website. Archived from the original on April 3, 2008.
63. s:Bird (Pushkin)

Literature

• Wikimedia Commons has media related to Annunciation of the Mother of God
• Annunciation // Orthodox Theological Encyclopedia. Volume 2. Edition Petrograd. Supplement to the spiritual magazine "Wanderer" for 1901
• N.V. Kvlividze. Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin // Orthodox Encyclopedia. - M .: Church-Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia", 2002. - T. V. - 752 p. - 39,000 copies. - ISBN 5-89572-010-2.
• Liturgy of the Orthodox Church (reprint edition 1912). - M.: Dar, 2005.
• Seraphim Slobodsky. God's law for family and school. - M.: Dar, 2006.
• Teaching Gospel (according to the writings of John Chrysostom). - M .: Edinovercheskaya printing house, 1912.
• Ignatius Brianchaninov. Exposition of the teaching of the Orthodox Church about the Mother of God. - M., 1990.
• Otto Demus. Mosaics of Byzantine churches. Principles of monumental art of Byzantium. - M., 2001.
• Don Denny. The Annunciation from the Right from Early Christian Times to the Sixteenth Century. - New York: Garland Publishing, 1977.

Links

• Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (inaccessible link) on the website Orthodoxy and Modernity
• The Annunciation of Our Blessed Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary on the Pravoslavie website. Ru
• Annunciation. New Testament scenes in painting
• Gallery of the Annunciation (icons, mosaics, frescoes and miniatures)
• Archangel Gabriel: image gallery
• Annunciation in arts and crafts, stained glass windows. Gallery
• Annunciation in Russian poetry
• Annunciation in Russian painting
• Annunciation // Russian Ethnographic Museum

On April 7, 2018, the Church celebrates the day of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos - one of the 12 main (twelfth) holidays in the Orthodox calendar.

The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - on this day the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced to Her the coming birth of Jesus Christ - the Son of God.

Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin - April 7, 2018

Annunciation means "good" or "good" news.

Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Until the age of 14, the Blessed Virgin was brought up in the temple, and then, according to the law, she had to leave the temple, as she had reached the age of majority, and either return to her parents or get married. The priests wanted to marry her, but Mary announced to them her promise to God - to remain forever a Virgin. Then the priests betrothed Her distant relative, the 80-year-old Elder Joseph, to take care of Her and protect Her virginity. Living in the Galilean city of Nazareth, in the house of Joseph, the Blessed Virgin Mary led the same modest and secluded life as in the temple.

Four months after the betrothal, an angel appeared to Mary when She was reading the Holy Scriptures and, going in to Her, said: “Hail, Blessed One! (that is, filled with the grace of God - the gifts of the Holy Spirit). The Lord is with you! Blessed are You among women." Archangel Gabriel announced to Her that She had found the greatest grace from God - to be the Mother of the Son of God.

Mary, perplexed, asked the Angel how a son could be born to one who does not know her husband. And then the Archangel revealed to Her the truth that he brought from Almighty God: “The Holy Spirit will find on You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You; Therefore, the Holy One who is being born will be called the Son of God. Having comprehended the will of God and completely surrendering herself to it, the Most Holy Virgin answered: “Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word."

“That event, which is called the Annunciation, means the conception of Jesus Christ,” recalls the professor of theology, deacon Andrei Kuraev. – By the action of the grace of God in the bosom of Mary, the development of a new human life. Mary did not conceive from God the Father, not from the Archangel Gabriel, and not from her betrothed husband Joseph. Cynical "physiological" arguments are best left to yourself - Christians know the laws of biology as well as skeptics, and therefore they talk about the Miracle. And the miracle is not so much that the Virgin, who did not know her husband, began to bear a child, but that God has identified Himself with this child and with everything that will happen in His life. God doesn't just inhabit Virgo. Through the archangel Gabriel, He (the Almighty, Lord and Lord) humbly asks the consent of the maiden. And only when He hears human consent. May it be to me according to Thy word,” only then the Word becomes flesh.

This is how the gospel story begins. Ahead - Christmas and flight to Egypt, temptations in the desert and healing of the possessed, the Last Supper and arrest, the Crucifixion and Resurrection ... ".

History of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

March 25 is considered the date of the Annunciation both in the West and in the East. This date is exactly 9 months from December 25, which since the 4th century, first in the West, and then in the East, is considered the day of the Nativity of Christ. In addition, this number is consistent with the ideas of ancient church historians that the Annunciation and Easter, as historical events, occurred on the same day of the year.

For the first time, this date appears in the writings of western authors of the 3rd century Tertullian and the Hieromartyr Hippolytus of Rome as the day of the Crucifixion of the Savior according to the Roman calendar (even in the 6th century, St. Martin of Braga wrote that many Gallic bishops considered Easter to be a fixed holiday). At the same time, schmch. Hippolytus, based on a comparison of a number of biblical verses and their literal interpretation, argued that the Nativity of Christ occurred 5,500 years after the creation of the world.

The source near which the Annunciation took place

The belief about the 5,500-year age of creation by the time of the Savior's coming into the world and about the coincidence of the dates of the creation of the world and the coming of Christ in the flesh passed into the Alexandrian tradition, but here the decisive date was not the Nativity of Christ, but the Annunciation: St. Athanasius the Great wrote that Christ was incarnated in the womb of the Virgin on the 25th day of March, because on this day God originally created man.

From the 5th century, the date of the Resurrection took the place of the date of the Crucifixion, and the time of the Savior's earthly ministry from the Incarnation to the Resurrection began to be considered a multiple of an integer number of years.
In the Byzantine tradition, the date of March 25 is of great importance - this is the day not only of the Annunciation, but also the creation of the world, and the Resurrection of Christ; the dates of other holidays are counted from it: the Nativity of Christ, the Conception and the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.

The day of the Annunciation was often considered the day of the beginning of the church or even civil year both in the East and in the West. The belief that the historical date of the Resurrection of Christ coincides with March 25 led to the fact that this day was called “Kyriopaskha” (Kyriopaskha - Dominant (that is, real, normal) Easter; sometimes there is an incorrect etymology - the Lord's Easter). Now Kyriopaskha is called the coincidence of the holidays of Easter and the Annunciation that happens every few years.
In Russia, in connection with the use of the Julian calendar by the Church, March 25 falls on April 7. according to the Gregorian ("civil") calendar).

Images of the Annunciation are already present among the murals of the catacombs of the 2nd half of II - 1st floor. III centuries, however, it can be argued with a high degree of probability that the establishment of a special feast of the Annunciation did not occur earlier than the IV century.

Annunciation, Nativity of Christ, Meeting. 12th century, St. Catherine's Monastery, Sinai

Opening of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Helena at the beginning of the 4th century. the holy places of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the construction of temples that she began in these places (in particular, in Nazareth) caused an increase in interest in the event of the Nativity of Christ and the mystery of the Incarnation; Perhaps this is connected with the establishment of the Annunciation as a separate holiday. At the beginning of the 8th century Armenian author Grigor Asharuni wrote that the feast of the Annunciation was established by St. Cyril of Jerusalem, that is, in the 3rd quarter of the 4th c.

Since information about the worship of Constantinople in the 5th-6th centuries. not numerous, nothing definite can be said about the celebration of the Annunciation during this period in Constantinople, but by the end of the 7th century. this is one of the most revered holidays here. All Byzantine monuments of the 8th and subsequent centuries list the Annunciation among the most important holidays; the service of the Annunciation is invariably celebrated on March 25.

In the West, information about the feast of the Annunciation dates back to about the same time as in the East. From the writings of the Western Fathers of the Church and writers, the words on the Annunciation are known, attributed to the Latin authors of the 5th century. Blessed Augustine, Saints Peter Chrysologus and Leo I the Great. The liturgical veneration of the day of the Annunciation is clearly mentioned in the Liber Pontificalis of the time of Pope Sergius I (687-701), where the Annunciation is one of the 3 feasts dedicated to the Mother of God, when a solemn procession took place in Rome.

Annunciation. French miniature, late 13th century

The name of the holiday in ancient times was not stable, the modern Greek name "Evangelismos" appears only from the 7th century. In the writings of ancient authors there are names: Greek. “day of greeting”, “announcement” or “day/feast of the Annunciation”; lat. “annuntiatio angeli ad beatam Mariam Virginem” (Annunciation of an angel to the Blessed Virgin Mary), “Mariae salutatio” (greeting Mary) and a number of other similar names. The Annunciation was perceived both as the Lord's and as the Mother of God feast. Unlike the Orthodox Church, where the Annunciation is considered one of the most important holidays (the full name is the Annunciation of the Most Holy Lady of Our Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary), in Catholicism it is a second-class holiday (the full name is Annuntiatio beatae Mariae Virginis - the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary).

Annunciation. Chinese icon, 18th century

The meaning of the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh:

“The Annunciation is the day of the good news that a Virgin has been found throughout the human world, so believing in God, so deeply capable of obedience and trust, that the Son of God can be born from Her. The incarnation of the Son of God, on the one hand, is the work of God's love - the cross, affectionate, saving - and God's power; but at the same time, the incarnation of the Son of God is a matter of human freedom. St. Gregory Palamas says that the Incarnation would have been just as impossible without the free human consent of the Mother of God, as it would have been impossible without the creative will of God. And on this day of the Annunciation, we contemplate the Virgin in the Mother of God, Who, with all her heart, with all her mind, with all her soul, with all her strength, managed to trust God to the end.

And the good news was truly terrible: the appearance of an angel, this greeting: Blessed are you in women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, they could not help but cause not only amazement, not only trembling, but also fear in the soul of a virgin who did not know a husband - how is this could be?..

And here we catch the difference between the wavering - albeit deep - faith of Zechariah, the father of the Forerunner, and the faith of the Mother of God. Zechariah is also told that his wife will have a son - naturally, despite her advanced age; and his answer to this message of God: How can this be? This can't happen! How can you prove it? What assurance can You give me?.. The Mother of God puts the question only this way: How can this happen to me - I'm a virgin? Her words: Behold, the Servant of the Lord; wake me according to your word...

The word "slave" in our present usage speaks of enslavement; in the Slavic language, a man who gave his life, his will to another called himself a slave. And She really gave Her life, Her will, Her destiny to God, accepting by faith – that is, incomprehensible trust – the news that She would be the Mother of the incarnate Son of God. Of her, the righteous Elizabeth says: Blessed is she who believed, for what shall be spoken to her from the Lord shall come to her...

In the Mother of God we find an amazing ability to trust God to the end; but this ability is not natural, not natural: such faith can be forged in oneself by the feat of purity of heart, the feat of love for God. A feat, for the fathers say: Shed blood, and you will receive the Spirit ... One of the Western writers says that the Incarnation became possible when the Virgin of Israel was found, Who, with all her thought, with all her heart, with all her life, was able to pronounce the Name of God so that It became flesh in Her.

Here is the gospel that we have just heard in the Gospel: the human race gave birth, brought to God as a gift the Virgin, Who was able in Her royal human freedom to become the Mother of the Son of God, who freely gave herself for the salvation of the world. Amen".

Annunciation. Mosaic of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. 1295

Prayers of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Troparion to the Feast

Troparion

Kontakion

magnificence

Choruses

Irmos of the 9th song

Quotes about the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

“A worthy admirer of the Annunciation should at times plunge into the reading of the Word of God and concentrate on what was read, as the Blessed One in women used to do.

One of the goals of the worshiper of the Mother of God should be the desire for a life that is quiet and away from the hustle and bustle, but at the same time internally rich and deep.

Conditions of existence may not give a person such a gift, and he himself may be incapable of a long concentrated life. But to strive for silence and prayer, to sigh from time to time about their absence, every person is obliged to raise his eyes to heaven and repeat the words of Gabriel: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.”

Archpriest Andrey Tkachev

“To the lie about man, to his reduction to the earth and to the belly, to the lowly and the animal, to his submission to the immutable and impersonal laws of nature, the Church responds with the image of Mary, the Most Pure Mother of God, the One to whom, according to the Russian poet, they always ascend “from great fullness, the sweetest human tears. Joy about, therefore, that here that untruth, that lie about man, with which the world is constantly being filled, is overcome. The joy of admiring, the joy of possession - for this image is always with us, as consolation and encouragement, as inspiration and help.

Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann

“And on the feast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God, these two moods are mysteriously and frighteningly, frighteningly and wonderfully intertwined. On the one hand, how not to rejoice, how not to be amazed and tremble at the thought that the voice of the Lord reached the Most Pure Virgin Theotokos and an angel announced to Her that God Himself would become a man through Her, enter this world, and that the whole world would already be the coming of God transfigured, will no longer stand face to face with his Creator only in awe and reverence, but will rejoice that in him, in his core - God Himself: not only that a person is so great that God could unite with him, but all material, visible creation is connected with Him mysteriously…”

Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh

The church holiday of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is dedicated to an event that stands on the border of two eras in the history of mankind - the Old and New Testaments. The beginning of the countdown of the New Time comes from the Nativity of Christ, and it happened exactly 9 months after the Annunciation.

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Origin of the Feast of the Annunciation

Like other akathists, it is written on the model of the main akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos “Hail, Unbrided Bride” and consists of successively alternating kontakia and ikos. Accurate information about the creation of the main akathist "Rejoice, Unbrided Bride" is not available today. It is believed that it was written sometime between the 5th and 7th centuries by one of the great authors - perhaps Romanus the Melodist, George of Pisidia, or Patriarch Sergius.

But all subsequent akathists were compiled according to his model.

The Akathist to the Annunciation gives all believers the opportunity to join this holiday, since the Annunciation often falls on weekdays, when most people are busy with work and do not have the opportunity to attend services. You can read it both in the temple and at home.

Advice! But one should not think that reading an akathist makes sense only on this holiday. No, you can read it throughout the year.

Among the Canonical Gospels, the episode of the Annunciation is present only in the Gospel of Luke.

Old and New Calendar Styles

According to the old style, the date of the Annunciation is March 25, and the date of the Nativity is December 25. The Orthodox Church lives according to the old calendar. Therefore, if you look at these dates from the point of view of the New Style, they are shifted forward by 13 days - April 7 and January 7.

Please note: Unlike the Orthodox, the Catholic Church lives according to the new style.

There Christmas - December 25 in a new style. Moreover, in Catholicism such great importance Annunciation, as in Orthodoxy.

About other Mother of God holidays:

In Orthodoxy, the Annunciation is one of the twelve, that is, the most significant holidays after Easter, and, according to modern interpretation, is the Mother of God.

There are also Lord's feasts dedicated to important events in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Orthodox Church believes that the countdown of a person's stay in the earthly world goes not from the moment of birth, but from the moment of conception. For the legitimate conception of babies, the Church blesses married couples in the sacrament of the Wedding.

Church charters regarding the Feast of the Annunciation

As mentioned above, The Annunciation is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on April 7 in a new style. This is a non-transferable holiday, that is, unlike some other twelve, it is celebrated every year on the same date.

The forefeast and the afterfeast are one day. Afterfeast is also the Cathedral of the Archangel Gabriel.

This is also a big holiday, but it does not apply to the twelfth. As on the day of the Archangel Michael (November 21, according to the new style), one of the supreme Angels is venerated. There are eight supreme Archangels in total, and, when praying to one of them, an Orthodox Christian is supposed to mentally collect them all. Also, according to the teachings of Orthodoxy, there was also a ninth archangel named Dennitsa, but he fell away from God and became the devil.

The week preceding the day of Easter is called Holy Week in Orthodoxy, and the next week is called Bright Week.

Attention. The Great Lent preceding Holy Week these days is even more aggravated.

A Christian is forbidden entertainment and worldly pleasures, watching TV and reading unprofitable books are also not blessed.

On the Bright Week, on the contrary, it is strictly forbidden to fast.

So, if the Annunciation falls on Passion or Bright Week, then the prefeast and afterfeast are transferred to other days. Similar coincidences are possible due to the fact that Easter is a movable holiday, and every year it falls on a new date.

Orthodox and Catholic Churches enjoy different methods to determine the day of Easter.

The Annunciation is a fast day, but the laity are allowed fish dishes and vegetable oil. But meat, chicken, eggs and dairy products are prohibited.

In fact, work is also prohibited, but, due to the secular nature of our state, prescribed in the Constitution, usually believers go to work on this day. But at least they should refrain from physical work on the ground, in the field, in gardens, in vegetable gardens, as well as from washing, cleaning, sewing, and visiting hairdressers.

Some famous temples dedicated to the Annunciation

In Russia, the first stone church dedicated to the Annunciation is the Annunciation Cathedral, built by Grand Duke Vasily, son of Dmitry Donskoy, in the period from 1397 to 1416. By 1482, during the reign of Ivan 3, the building fell into disrepair due to age and was dismantled, a new temple was erected in its place.

In 1547, by the beginning of the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the building suffered a fire, and was later restored.

About the churches consecrated in honor of the Annunciation holiday:

In Israel, in a holy place, near the source where the Virgin Mary visited and where the First Annunciation took place (information about it is based on the apocryphal writing from James), the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation was founded in 1750. It still operates today.

The source is located in the crypt of the temple, above it there is an icon, famous for many miracles.

Church of the Annunciation in Israel

Popular beliefs on the Annunciation

The following beliefs about this day are common among the people:

• Do not lend money and other things - you can bring yourself poverty.
• Girls do not weave braids, do not comb their hair.
• Do not wear new clothes - they will not last long.
• Wives try to call their husband "dear" as often as possible - if you do this 40 times, then he will be kind to his wife all year.
• Do not sow - there will be a crop failure.
• How you spend this day, and the whole year.
• Do not heat the oven, do not bake pies.
• Well, if there is a thunderstorm on this day, the summer will be warm and fruitful.
• If it rains, it will good harvest rye.
• Swallows do not fly - spring will be cold.
• In general, this day among the peasants is considered the real beginning of spring.

However, it should be noted that such beliefs are not recognized as true by the official Orthodox Church and have no theological value.

Advice! The Russian Orthodox Church does not impose such prohibitions on its parishioners on this holiday, but recommends, if circumstances permit, that they attend the festive service and partake of the Mysteries of Christ.

Orthodox Literature on the Annunciation

1. Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Fr. Seraphim Slobodskoy
2. On the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, Metropolitan Kirill
3. Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary "Bible Encyclopedia"
4. The wisest Psellus Word on the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos archim. Ambrose
5. Conversation for the Annunciation of St. Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople
6. Word on the Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary St. Nicholas Cavasila
7. Omilia XIV. On the Annunciation of Our Most Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, St. Gregory Palamas
8. Annunciation of the Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov)
9. Sermon on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St. Dimitri Rostovsky

Watch a video about the Feast of the Annunciation

One of the Twelfth Feasts in the Orthodox calendar. Annunciation - "good" or "good" news. On this day, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced to Her the coming birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of the world. The feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated on April 7 (new style or March 25 according to the old style). The Annunciation is exactly 9 months from the date of the celebration of the Nativity of Christ, it has one day of fore-feast and one day of after-feast, on which the Cathedral of the Archangel Gabriel is celebrated. The forefeast and afterfeast are postponed if the Annunciation takes place on Holy Week Great Lent or Bright Week.

Video of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary from the series "Summer of the Lord"

History of the Feast of the Annunciation

The Blessed Virgin Mary was brought up at the Jerusalem temple until the age of 14, and then, according to the law, she had to leave the temple, as she had reached the age of majority, and either return to her parents or get married. The clergy wanted to marry her, but Mary announced to them her promise to God - to remain forever a Virgin. Then the priests betrothed Her to a distant relative, 80 Elder Joseph the Betrothed, so that he would take care of Her and protect Her virginity. Living in the Galilean city of Nazareth, in the house of Joseph, the Blessed Virgin Mary led the same modest and secluded life as in the temple.

After the betrothal, 4 months later, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary and, entering Her, said: “Hail, Blessed One!. The Lord is with you! Blessed are You among women." The Archangel Gabriel announced to Her that She had received the greatest grace from God — to be the Mother of the Son of God. Mary, perplexed, asked the Angel how a son could be born to one who does not know her husband. And then the Archangel revealed to Her the truth that he brought from Almighty God: “The Holy Spirit will find on You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You; Therefore, the Holy One who is being born will be called the Son of God. Having comprehended the will of God and completely surrendering herself to it, the Most Holy Virgin answered: “Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word."

For the first time, the Annunciation appears in the writings of the Western authors of the 3rd century Tertullian and the Hieromartyr Hippolytus of Rome as the day of the Crucifixion of the Savior according to the Roman calendar (even in the 6th century, St. Martin of Braga wrote that many Gallic bishops considered Easter to be a fixed holiday). At the same time, schmch. Hippolytus, based on a comparison of a number of biblical verses and their literal interpretation, argued that the Nativity of Christ occurred 5,500 years after the creation of the world. The belief about the 5,500-year age of creation by the time of the Savior's coming into the world and about the coincidence of the dates of the creation of the world and the coming of Christ in the flesh passed into the Alexandrian tradition, but here the decisive date was not the Nativity of Christ, but the Annunciation: St. Athanasius the Great wrote that Christ was incarnated in the womb of the Virgin on the 25th day of March (old style), because on this day God originally created man.

From the 5th century, the date of the Resurrection took the place of the date of the Crucifixion, and the time of the Savior's earthly ministry from the Incarnation to the Resurrection began to be considered a multiple of an integer number of years. In the Byzantine tradition, the date of March 25 is of great importance - this is the day not only of the Annunciation, but also the creation of the world, and the Resurrection of Christ; the dates of other holidays are counted from it: the Nativity of Christ, the Conception and the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.

The day of the Annunciation was often considered the day of the beginning of the church or even civil year, both in the East and in the West. The belief that the historical date of the Resurrection of Christ coincides with March 25 led to the fact that this day was called “Kyriopaskha” (Kyriopaskha - Lord's Easter; sometimes there is an incorrect etymology - the Lord's Easter). Now Kyriopaskha is called the coincidence of the holidays of Easter and the Annunciation that happens every few years. In Russia, in connection with the use of the Julian calendar by the Church, March 25 falls on April 7. in Gregorian.

The first images of the Annunciation are already present among the murals of the catacombs of the 2nd half of II - 1st floor. III centuries, however, it can be argued with a high degree of probability that the establishment of a special feast of the Annunciation did not occur earlier than the IV century. Discovery of St. Helena Equal-to-the-Apostles at the beginning of the 4th century. the holy places of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the construction of churches begun by her in these places caused an increase in interest in the event of the Nativity of Christ and the mystery of the Incarnation; Perhaps this is connected with the establishment of the Annunciation as a separate holiday. At the beginning of the 8th century Armenian author Grigor Asharuni wrote that the feast of the Annunciation was established by St. Cyril of Jerusalem, that is, in the 3rd quarter of the 4th c.

Since information about the worship of Constantinople in the 5th-6th centuries. not numerous, nothing definite can be said about the celebration of the Annunciation during this period in Constantinople, but by the end of the 7th century. this is one of the most revered holidays here. All Byzantine monuments of the 8th and subsequent centuries list the Annunciation among the most important holidays; the service of the Annunciation is invariably celebrated on March 25.

In pre-revolutionary Russia, there was a custom, especially in Moscow, on the Day of the Annunciation, as on the day of the announcement of freedom to the whole world, to release birds from cages into the wild.

Icons of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The icon of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos depicts the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel. The story of the event depicted on the icon is set out in the 1st chapter of the Gospel of Luke.

The Archangel Gabriel was sent from God to the city of Nazareth to the Most Holy Theotokos with the joyful news that the Lord chose Her to be the Mother of the Savior of the world: “You have found grace with God, and behold, you will conceive in the womb and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and His Kingdom will have no end.” The Annunciation marked the beginning of the salvation of the human race, but in the person of the Most Holy Theotokos, Christians found a merciful Intercessor for them before Her Divine Son. Although the solemn celebration of the Annunciation was introduced in the 4th century, icons depicting these events appeared in the Church much earlier.

Temples of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin in Kashin

In Kashin, in 1686-1688, a stone St. Nicholas Church of the Annunciation was built on Zborovskaya Hill on the site of a wooden church. Nearby is an octagonal belfry.

In 1929 the church was destroyed, in 1932 it lost its bell tower, and in 1935 it was completely destroyed.

Another Church of the Annunciation is located near Kashin in the village of Apraksino. The Church of the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Apraksin was built in 1695, in the 18-19 centuries it was repeatedly reconstructed and transformed in the style of classicism.

Church of the Annunciation in the village of Apraksino near Kashin

In 1930, the temple was closed and a potato storehouse was located in it, for which a basement was dug. As a result of such ill-conceived actions, the walls and vault received numerous cracks, in 1990 the building caught fire after which it was finally abandoned. Only in 2007 did the transfer of the church of the Tver diocese take place and the repair work which, unfortunately, is currently suspended indefinitely.

Poems for the Feast of the Annunciation

Annunciation, Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov

Holy Annunciation -

Great day in Rus'

With him you feel young

Resurrect in a hard heart;

Respond to the soul, like youth,

With my full breast

For radiant joy

To the smile of spring days.

Observing the holiday strictly,

On this day, the people say

That even a bird praises God

And he does not build a nest for himself;

On this holiday, going out to the field

With a handful full of grain,

Good-natured birds at will

Released old.

The approach of Easter

Clears a frown

From the alien sides

Swallows fly to visit.

And inspiring the thought of brotherhood,

About the gifts of good love,

As if arguing about wealth

Heaven with sinful earth.

Everyone listens with a keen ear

Anthem of golden dawns,

Wrapped in soft fluff

Young willow branches.

And looks at us, shining

The inaccessibility of miracles,

This eternity is blue

Triumphant skies.

Annunciation, Valery Bryusov

You were one of us

During the day your dream was owned by yarn,

But to You, holy one, in the evening hour

The angelic guard has arrived.

O queen of all worldly queens,

Virgin, foretold by the prophet.

Gabriel, entering, bowed down

Before You in deep humility.

Attention to the incomprehensible mind,

You lowered your eyes meekly.

Wake me according to your word,

Annunciation, Konstantin Balmont

blessing and light,

The willows turned white.

Or there is definitely no grief,

Right, really?

Blessings and laughter

Kidneys flushed.

And on the streets for everyone

Blue flowers.

How many blue flowers

Taken from the snow

Again the world is both fresh and new,

And bliss is everywhere.

I see old Moscow

In youthful attire.

I laugh and I live

Sun in every look.

From the ancient Kremlin

The sound floats like a wave.

And the earth lives in ditches

Young grass.

In the slightly broken grass

Dream of spring and summer.

Annunciation in Moscow

It's a festival of light!

Troparion to the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The day of our salvation is the main thing and the hedgehog from the age of the sacrament is the manifestation: the Son of God the Son of the Virgin happens, and Gabriel preaches the gospel. In the same way, we will cry out to the Theotokos with him: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Kontakion of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The chosen Voivode is victorious, as if having got rid of the evil ones, with thanksgiving we will describe Thee, Thy servants, the Mother of God, but, as if having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call Thee: rejoice, Bride of the Bride.

Magnification of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Archangelic voice crying out to Thee, Pure One: Rejoice, O Gracious One, the Lord is with Thee.

References:

1. Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy, Law of God.

"Kashin Orthodox", since 2010 from R.Kh.

In ancient times, the feast of the Annunciation was given different names: the conception of Christ, the Annunciation of Christ, the Beginning of Redemption, the Annunciation of the Angel of Mary. About where and how the feast of the Annunciation first appeared, nothing is known. It is only known that in 560 Emperor Justinian indicated the date of the celebration of the Annunciation - March 25 (April 7, according to a new style).

The name of the holiday - the Annunciation - conveys the main meaning of the event associated with it: the announcement to the Virgin Mary of the good news about the conception and birth of the Divine Infant Christ by Her. This holiday belongs to the twelfth non-passing holidays and is celebrated every year on the same April day.
The main icon of the holiday can be considered a masterpiece by Andrei Rublev: an angel descends to the Virgin to announce to her the “Good News”. Archangel Gabriel brought the biggest news to the Virgin Mary - the Son of God becomes the Son of man. The prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, the Mother of God responds with consent to the angel's message: "Let it be to me according to your word." Without this voluntary consent, God could not have become a man. He could not be incarnated, since God does not act by force, does not force us to do anything. Man is given complete freedom to respond to God with consent and love.

Church Tradition says that at the moment when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary, she was reading the book of the prophet Isaiah, just those words about the birth of the Messiah. “I am ready to become the last servant of the one who will be honored to give birth to the Messiah,” she thought.

Some ancient customs are associated with the Annunciation among the people. They say that on the Annunciation “the bird does not nest, the maiden does not weave braids”, that is, any work is considered a sin.

Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Annunciation is one of the religious twelfth holidays associated with the Christian tradition of the Archangel Gabriel, who announced the future birth of the Virgin Mary of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated by believers on March 25 according to the new style (April 7).
The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary became an independent holiday in the middle of the 7th century, and served as a constant subject for religious painting.
The Annunciation is always a holiday in singular, that is, set by Orthodox calendar on a fixed day. On this day, the Archangel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary the immaculate conception and the birth of the son of Jesus Christ - the Son of God and the Savior of the world.
Until the age of 14, the Blessed Virgin was brought up in the temple, and then, according to the law, she had to leave the temple, as she had reached the age of majority, and either return to her parents or get married. The priests wanted to marry her, but Mary announced to them her promise to God - to remain forever a Virgin. Then the priests betrothed Her distant relative, the 80-year-old Elder Joseph, to take care of Her and protect Her virginity. Living in the Galilean city of Nazareth, in the house of Joseph, the Blessed Virgin Mary led the same modest and secluded life as in the temple.
When the time came for the Son of God to become a man, there was nothing in the whole world holier and more worthy than the Virgin Mary. Shortly before the Annunciation, according to legend, about four months, Mary was betrothed to Joseph and lived in Nazareth in his house. The Archangel Gabriel was sent to this house, he announced to her the secret of the incarnation of God from her. Gabriel spoke to her the words that the Church repeats daily in prayer:
“Rejoice, O Gracious One, the Lord is with you! Blessed are You in women! - said St. The archangel to the Virgin, appearing to Her in Nazareth, in the house of Joseph, to whom she was betrothed to preserve her virginity. You have found favor with God. And now You will conceive and give birth to a Son and call Him the name Jesus (Savior). He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” Mary, remembering her vow not to marry, said to the archangel: “How will it be when I am not married?” The archangel answered: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore also the one born of Thee will be holy and will be called the Son of God.” “I am the servant of the Lord, let it be for me according to your word!” Mary then answered the Archangel. And the archangel departed from her.
Learning that Mary was expecting a child, Joseph wanted to let her go, but the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: “Joseph, son of David! Don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for what is born in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you will call His name: Jesus; for he will save his people from their sins.”
No word is powerless with the Lord, and Mary soon gave birth to the Infant Jesus. Gospel of Luke 1:26-35
It was a day like a day, quite ordinary:
The vanity boiled all around,
But with an inaudible gait
I went to Mary Angel in the house.
He exclaimed: “Hail, Mary!
The Lord has blessed you! -
And about the birth of the Messiah
The Messenger of God declared:
“He will be called the Son of God
And he will reign forever.
The one who believes will be saved.
Let the man be happy!”

The Annunciation is the conception of Jesus Christ. By the action of the grace of God in the bosom of Mary, a new human life began. Christians know the laws of biology, that's why they talk about the Miracle. The miracle is not so much that the Virgin, who did not know her husband, began to bear a child, but that God Himself identified Himself with this child and with everything that will happen in His life. God doesn't just inhabit Virgo. Through the archangel Gabriel, the Almighty, Lord and Lord asks the consent of Mary. And only after her consent, the Word becomes flesh.
At the Annunciation, the Blessed Virgin Mary is glorified, thanksgiving is pronounced to the Lord God and veneration is paid to his messenger Archangel Gabriel, who served the sacrament of salvation.
The Feast of the Annunciation glorifies the inseparable and inseparable union of two natures in Jesus Christ - the Divinity with humanity.
King Solomon, who received from God all the light of wisdom to explore the secrets of nature, after surveying everything that is in heaven and on earth - past, present and future - decided that there is nothing new in the world, under the sun. But in the Annunciation to the blessed Virgin Mary, God created a completely new work, which has never happened in past centuries and will never happen in the future.
Humanity has been waiting for this day for more than five thousand years. The divine and prophetic books spoke of the coming of the Savior into the world. And the long-awaited hour has come. This happened in March, at the same time that the creation of the world took place. By the will of heaven, the good news about the birth of the Son of God came not to the learned nobility, but to the modest town of Nazareth, to the poor house of the carpenter Joseph. The priests instructed this worthy man in a paternal way to protect the Virgin Mary, brought up in the temple, who had vowed to preserve her virginity. Both of them belonged to an impoverished royal family.
According to legend, once Mary was thinking about the prediction of the ancient prophet Isaiah that the Savior should miraculously be born from the Immaculate Virgin, who did not know a husband. As if in response to the thoughts of the Blessed Virgin, the Archangel Gabriel quietly appeared before her and said: “Rejoice, blessed one!

SIGNIFICANCE AND MEANING OF THE HOLIDAY

"Annunciation" means good, joyful, good news. In fact, this is the same as the "Gospel", because this word is translated from Greek as "good news."

The Feast of the Annunciation is dedicated to the memory of the day when, as the Bible says, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced the coming birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who would take upon Himself the sins of the whole world.
From April 7 (March 25 O.S.) to January 7 (December 25 O.S.), i.e. before Christmas - exactly nine months.
The event in question happened, according to Scripture, four months after Mary's betrothal to a distant relative, the eighty-year-old elder Joseph (Mary, who announced her desire to remain a Virgin and devote herself to God, was entrusted to his care).
Mary lived in the house of Joseph in the city of Nazareth, where she led a modest and pious life, just like at the church where she had been brought up before. And one day, when the Virgin was reading the Holy Scriptures, an angel appeared to her and addressed the following words: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you; Blessed are You among women." Archangel Gabriel announced to her that she had found the greatest grace - to become the mother of the Son of God. Mary was embarrassed by these words and asked how a son could be born to one who did not know a husband. Gabriel answered: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; Therefore, the Holy One who is being born will be called the Son of God.
It is noteworthy that, having learned the will of God, the Virgin Mary showed deep faith and humility, answering: “Behold, the servant of the Lord; Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:28-38).
The Church believes that on this day the Gospel story begins: along with the good news, the beginning of the salvation of the human race was laid.
The Church began to celebrate the Annunciation no later than the 4th century. Initially, the holiday was called differently (“Conception of Christ”, “Beginning of Redemption”, “Annunciation of the Angel of Mary”), in the 7th century it was given the name “Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos”.

Why are white doves launched on the Annunciation?

The white dove has been a symbol of peace and good news since ancient times. In addition, the dove is a symbol of the grace-filled action of the Holy Spirit, and the snow-white wings are at the same time a symbol of the purity of the Virgin Mary herself. By tradition, the Church brings the Mother of God "as a gift" defenseless birds.
In the post-Soviet history of the Russian Orthodox Church, this custom was revived in 1995, and today in many churches, after the Liturgy, white doves are released into the sky.
Interestingly, before the revolution of 1917, the birds that the Patriarch released into the sky above the Kremlin's Annunciation Cathedral were bought on Okhotny Ryad. Today, those pigeons that the Patriarch launches are raised by the Federation of Sports Pigeon Breeding. After these pigeons soar into the sky, after some time they gather in groups and then return to their nurseries in the capital and Moscow region.

Lenten indulgences

Please note that the church charter allows fasting on the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos to eat fish.

The materials of the sites Patriarchia.ru, Pravmir.ru were used.

For Orthodox Christians, April 7 is the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. Bake lark figurines

The Annunciation is a good day when the Archangel Gabriel brought the good news to the Virgin Mary about the coming birth of the Son of God Jesus Christ and that She was chosen to become the mother of the Son of God.

The Blessed Virgin Mary was bestowed on aged parents, the righteous Joachim and Anna (Comm. 9 September) for their unceasing and tearful prayers. Upon reaching the age of 14, when, according to the Jewish law, Her stay in the temple was to end, the Most Holy Mary was betrothed to the righteous eighty-year-old elder Joseph, a poor carpenter from the family of David, who was entrusted with preserving Her virginity.
The Archangel Gabriel, sent by God, appeared to her and greeted her with the words: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you; Blessed are You among women." (Luke 1:28)

And the angel said to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace with God; and behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and thou shalt bear a Son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High ... and His Kingdom will have no end. - Mary told the Angel; what will it be like when I don't know my husband? The angel said to her in response: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the Power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Holy One who is being born will be called the Son of God ... Then Mary said: Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. And an angel departed from her” (Luke 1:28-38).

Thus, in the bowels of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Blessed Fruit arose - the God-man Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who took upon Himself the sins of the whole world.
If speak about folk traditions, then on the feast of the Annunciation it was customary to release the birds from the cages into the wild. In this regard, it was crowded before the holiday in the bird markets. Parents went there with their children to buy birds and on a holiday, after Divine Liturgy, release them.

By this day, figurines of larks were baked from lenten dough, paper figurines of angels were cut out and glued, in honor of the Archangel Gabriel.

Recall that on April 28, the Orthodox people call the entrance of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem “Palm Sunday”, Great Easter this year is celebrated on May 5.

Annunciation of the Mother of God

(Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia)

"Annunciation", Fra Beato Angelico, 1430-1432, Prado. In the background - the archangel Michael expels Adam and Eve from paradise after the fall (from the consequences of which Jesus, conceived at that moment, will save humanity). Mary is interpreted as the "new Eve"

The Annunciation (church-glory. Annunciation; tracing paper Greek Εὐαγγελισμός [τῆς Θεοτόκου]; lat. Annuntiatio - Annunciation) - an evangelical event and a Christian holiday dedicated to it; the proclamation by the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary of the future birth in the flesh from her of Jesus Christ.
Celebrated March 25th. The Russian Orthodox Church and other churches using the Julian calendar celebrate the Annunciation on April 7 in the Gregorian calendar (in the 20th-21st centuries). In Orthodoxy, it is one of the twelve holidays.

ACCORDING TO THE CANONICAL GOSPELIES

The events of the Annunciation are described by the only evangelist - the apostle Luke. In his Gospel, he reports that in the sixth month after the conception of Saint John the Baptist by the righteous Elizabeth, Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth to the Virgin Mary with the news of the impending birth of the Savior of the world from her:
The angel, having entered to Her, said: Rejoice, Blessed One! The Lord is with you; Blessed are You among women. She, seeing him, was embarrassed by his words and wondered what kind of greeting it would be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for you have found grace with God; and behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and thou shalt bear a Son, and thou shalt call his name: Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of David His father; and shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom shall have no end.
(Luke 1:28-33)

According to a number of theologians, the words of the archangel Gabriel - "Rejoice, full of grace" - became the first "good" news for mankind after his fall into sin. Theophylact of Bulgaria, in his interpretation of the Gospel of Luke, writes: “Since the Lord said to Eve: “In sickness you will give birth to children” (Gen. 3:16), now this illness is resolved by the joy that the Angel brings to the Virgin, saying: Rejoice, full of grace! Because Eve was cursed, Mary now hears: Blessed are You."
Doubting (according to Gregory of Neocaesarea, fearing a violation of her virginity), Mary asked the angel the question: “how will it be when I don’t know my husband?”. To which the angel promised a seedless, mysterious conception - “The Holy Spirit will find on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you,” and then, in confirmation, “that no word will remain powerless with God,” he cited the example of her relative Elizabeth.
Mary, seeing the will of God in the words of the angel, utters very significant words: “behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word." It is believed that at the moment the Virgin Mary uttered these words, the immaculate conception of Jesus Christ took place. Nicholas Cabasilas comments on these words:
The Incarnation was not only the work of the Father, His Power and His Spirit, but also the work of the will and faith of the Blessed Virgin. Without the consent of the Immaculate, without the assistance of Her faith, this plan would have remained unfulfilled, just as without the action of the Three Persons of the Divine Trinity Themselves. Only after God has instructed and persuaded the Holy Virgin, He accepts Her in Mother and borrows from Her flesh, which She gladly provides Him with. Just as He voluntarily incarnated, it was also pleasing to Him that His Mother also gave birth to Him freely and of Her own good will.
By her humility and consent, according to Athanasius the Great, Mary expressed her confession of faith. He compares it to a tablet, “on which the Scribe writes whatever pleases Him. May the Lord of all write and do what He wills.”

According to apocryphal sources

The history of the Annunciation is also reflected in apocryphal texts. It is described in the following apocrypha of the 2nd century: “The Proto-Gospel of James” and “The Book of the Nativity of the Most Blessed Mary and the Childhood of the Savior” (also known as the “Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew”). Apocryphal texts do not change the general story about the appearance of the archangel Gabriel to Mary with the news of the birth of the Savior from her, but add to this story a number of details that formed the iconography of this holiday.
According to the apocrypha, it fell to Mary by lot to weave a new veil of purple for the Jerusalem temple. Going for water, she heard a voice at the well, saying to her: “Rejoice, blessed one! The Lord is with you; Blessed are You among women." Seeing no one nearby, she returned home frightened (this plot is sometimes also called the “foreshadowing” - that is, the preparatory stage for the Annunciation itself.) Sitting at the spinning wheel, Mary saw an angel who reassured her with the words: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found Grace is with God and you will conceive to His glory.” (The prototype of the scene at the well is the story of the Old Testament Rebekah, who made Eliezer drunk, sent by her future groom Isaac).
The apocrypha also emphasizes the mysterious form of conception, and to the question of Mary, “Is it possible that I will conceive from the living God and give birth, as any woman gives birth?” the angel replies: "Not so, Mary, but the power of the Most High will overshadow you." After the angel left, Mary finished spinning the wool and took it to the high priest, who blessed it, saying: "God has magnified your name, and you will be blessed in all nations on earth."
Church tradition also says that the Virgin Mary, at the moment the angel appeared to her, read an excerpt from the book of the prophet Isaiah with his prophetic words: “Behold, the Virgin will receive in the womb, and give birth to a Son.” For this reason, in the scene of the Annunciation, the Virgin Mary is sometimes depicted with an open book.
The Annunciation is also mentioned in the Koran (3:45-51, 19:16-26), where this plot does not have such a meaning, since in Islam Jesus is not God, but a prophet.
[edit] Related plots

Meeting of Mary and Elizabeth

The episode of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary by the archangel Gabriel, according to the Gospel of Luke, was preceded by a visit by Gabriel to the barren Zechariah, who was married to a relative of Mary, Elizabeth, during which the herald promised the elderly couple the birth of the future John the Baptist. And after the Annunciation, the Mother of God went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was preparing to leave household chores in connection with her pregnancy. There was a meeting between Mary and Elizabeth, during which Elizabeth became the second, after the angel, and the first of the people who told Mary about the future share of her baby and uttered the words that became part of many prayers: “blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! » (see Hail Mary, Song of the Most Holy Theotokos).

Joseph the Betrothed:

According to the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 1:19-24), the archangel Gabriel appeared in a dream to Joseph the Betrothed, the husband of the Virgin Mary, who learned that before their betrothal she had become pregnant and wanted to "secretly release Her." Gabriel reassured Joseph, saying: “Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife, for what is born in her is from the Holy Spirit; she will give birth to a Son, and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” After that, as the evangelist narrates, "Joseph took his wife, and did not know her."

Symbolic meaning

Since at least the 2nd century, the Annunciation has been seen as the first act in the Christian history of redemption in which the obedience of the Virgin Mary balances the disobedience of Eve (interpretation of Irenaeus of Lyons). Mary becomes the "new Eve". The text of the famous hymn Ave maris stella (9th century) says that the name Eva is an anagram of the word Ave, with which Gabriel addressed the “new Eve”. In other words, to name Eve meant to mention Mary. Jerome deduced a concise formula: "death - through Eve, life - through Mary." Augustine wrote: "through a woman - death, and through a woman - life."
It is believed that God sent the archangel with the good news on the same day, March 25, on which the Creation of the world took place (for more details on the number, see below) - thus, humanity was given a second chance.
The mysterious conception of the Virgin Mary, according to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, refers to the great mystery of piety: in it, mankind brought as a gift to God its purest creation - the Virgin, capable of becoming the mother of the Son of God, and God, having accepted the gift, answered him with the gift of the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Feast of the Annunciation

The modern name of the holiday - Εὐαγγελισμός ("Annunciation") - began to be used no earlier than the 7th century. The ancient church called it differently:
Greek: ἡμέρα ἀσπασμοῦ (day of greeting), ἀγγελισμός (annunciation), ἡμέρα / ἑορτή τοῦ εὐαγγελισμοῦ (day/feast of the Annunciation), χαιρετ ισμός (from the beginning of the angelic greeting χαῖρε, κέχαριτωμένη - “rejoice, full of grace” (Luke 1:28) );
in Latin: annuntiatio angeli ad beatam Mariam Virginem (Annunciation of the Angel to the Blessed Virgin Mary), Mariae salutatio (Greeting of Mary), annuntiatio sanctae Mariae de conceptione (Annunciation of St. Mary of the Conception), annuntiatio Christi (Annunciation of Christ), conceptio Christi ( Conception of Christ), initium redemptionis (the beginning of redemption), festum incarnationis (the feast of the Incarnation).
The full name of the feast of the Annunciation in the Russian Orthodox Church is defined in the menaion: "The Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary." It should be noted that in Greek and Church Slavonic the word “Annunciation” requires the genitive case after itself, while when translated into Russian, both genitive and dative cases are possible, that is, “Annunciation to Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary”. Usually in modern editions the first option is used, obviously not without the influence of the Church Slavonic language, but the use of the second is also known.
The modern official name of this holiday in the Roman Catholic Church - Annuntiatio Domini Iesu Christi ("Annunciation of the Lord Jesus Christ") - was adopted after the Second Vatican Council. Before that, the variant was used: Annuntiatio beatae Mariae Virginis ("Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary"

Determination of the date and history of the establishment of the holiday

For the first time, the date March 25 appears in the writings of Western authors of the 3rd century - Tertullian and the Hieromartyr Hippolytus of Rome as the day of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ according to the Roman calendar. This circumstance formed the basis of the Alexandrian and later Byzantine chronological systems identifying the date of the Annunciation and Pascha.
There are two approaches to determining the date of the Annunciation:
Connection with the date of the Nativity of Christ: March 25 is exactly 9 months away from December 25, which no later than the 4th century was universally accepted as the date of the Nativity of Christ.
Connection with the date of the creation of man: a number of church authors (Athanasius the Great, Anastasius of Antioch) believe that the Annunciation and the conception of Jesus Christ took place on March 25, since on this day, according to one group of legends, God created man, and man, burdened with original sin, must be recreated at the time in which he was created (that is, redemption began).

The establishment of this holiday in Constantinople is attributed approximately to the middle of the 6th century as a result of the process of "historicization" of the gospel celebrations in the liturgical calendar, but there is no certainty on this issue. So, Gregory of Neocaesarea (3rd century) has a "Discourse on the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos" and John Chrysostom in his writings calls the Annunciation "the first feast" and "the root of the feasts"; It can be assumed that the Church already celebrated the Annunciation at this time. The celebration of the Annunciation is evidenced by the building in Nazareth, on the site where the Annunciation is believed to have taken place, by the Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena at the beginning of the 4th century of the Basilica of the Annunciation. At the same time, at the beginning of the 8th century, the Armenian author Grigor Arsharuni wrote that the holiday was established by St. Cyril I, Bishop of Jerusalem in the middle of the 4th century. However, Bishop Abraham of Ephesus (between 530 and 553) testifies that not a single sermon dedicated to the Annunciation was written before him. In the 7th century the Annunciation began to be celebrated in Rome and Spain; Gaul accepted it only in the 8th century.
In the 6th century, Roman the Melodist wrote a kontakion (in the early sense of the term) of the Annunciation. The hymnography of the holiday was supplemented in the 8th century by the works of John of Damascus and Theophanes, Metropolitan of Nicaea, who compiled the canon of the holiday in the form of a dialogue between the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel.

Other dates for the celebration of the Annunciation

The celebration of the Annunciation on the day of March 25 is common, but not generally accepted. There are several liturgical rites in which this holiday, which in its meaning precedes the Nativity of Christ, belongs to the pre-Christmas period:
In the Ambrose rite, the Annunciation of the Virgin is celebrated on the last (sixth) Sunday of Advent, that is, on the Sunday between December 18 and 24.
In the Spanish-Mozarabic rite, according to some sources, the Annunciation is prescribed to be celebrated twice - except for March 25, a holiday with the same name (Annunciation of the Blessed Mary the Virgin) is also indicated for December 18, that is, exactly one week before the Nativity of Christ. This date is the main one, the celebration on this day was officially confirmed in 656 by the Tenth Council of Toledo, since the traditional date for the Christian world, March 25, fell on Great Lent or the Easter period. The celebration of the Annunciation on March 25 is not indicated in any of the known manuscript Mozarabic sources, however, in the Liber Ordinum Episcopal de Santo Domingo de Silos (XI century), it is prescribed to commemorate the Conception of the Lord on this day. In the first printed missal of Cardinal Jimenez (1500), the celebration of the "Annunciation of the Blessed Mary" is indicated for both December 18 and March 25, which was probably done under the influence of the Roman rite. In the new (reformed) Spanish missal, the date of March 25 is not marked with any memory, and the celebration of "Saint Mary" is assigned to December 18. In terms of its content, this holiday is a kind of prefeast of the Nativity of Christ, the theme of the annunciation of the angel of St. The virgin is not developed, and the main theme of prayers and hymns on this day is the Incarnation.
In the East Syriac rite there is a whole six-week period of the Annunciation, which includes four Sundays before and two after the Nativity of Christ. The second of the Sundays before Christmas is dedicated to the Annunciation itself.

celebration

In the Orthodox Church

The Church in the East at various times considered the Annunciation to be both the Mother of God and the Lord's feast. At present, it is one of the twelve great feasts and usually refers to the feasts of the Theotokos, which is why blue liturgical vestments are assigned to it.
In the Jerusalem Rule, currently adopted in the Greek and Russian Churches, the Annunciation has one day of fore-feast and one day of after-feast, on which the Cathedral of the Archangel Gabriel is celebrated. The forefeast and afterfeast are postponed if the Annunciation happens on Passion or Bright Week.
The date of the holiday falls between Thursday of the 3rd week of Great Lent and Wednesday of Bright Week inclusive, that is, during the period of singing the Lenten or Colored Triodion.
A number of liturgical features for the period of singing the Lenten Triodion bring it closer to the feast of the Nativity of Christ and the Baptism of the Lord. So, if the feast of the Annunciation occurs on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday of any week of Fortecost (part of Great Lent until Friday of the sixth week, the eve of Lazarus Saturday), and also on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday of Holy Week, then the all-night vigil begins Great Compline, and not Vespers, as usual; if the holiday falls on the Week (Sunday) or Monday of Fortecost or any day of Bright Week, then the all-night vigil is performed in the usual way, that is, great vespers begins; Vespers begin at Matins, if the Annunciation is on Great Friday (Friday of Passion Week) or Great Saturday. At Matins, the Great Doxology is sung when the feast falls on Saturday or the Week of Lent; on other days it is read; does not rely on Bright Week at all.
When the Annunciation happens on Easter, there is no polyeleos, but the canon of the Annunciation is combined with the Paschal canon, and after the sixth ode of the canon, the gospel readings of the Annunciation are read (at Matins Lk. 1:39-49, at the liturgy Lk. 1:24-38).
The special significance of the feast of the Annunciation is emphasized by the fact that the 52nd canon of the Sixth Ecumenical Council established that on the day of the Annunciation, despite Great Lent, a full liturgy should be performed. According to the Typicon, as a general rule, the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is served, and if the feast falls on Great Lenten Sunday (Week), as well as Thursday or Saturday of Passion Week, then the liturgy of Basil the Great. If the Annunciation happens on Good Friday, then - as the only exception for this day - a liturgy should be performed (according to the Typicon, the liturgy of John Chrysostom is served).
On the Annunciation (if it does not fall on Holy Week), along with the feast of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem, the charter allows the consumption of fish, wine and oil. According to the Greek typikon, the celebration of the Annunciation, if it falls on Good Friday or Saturday, is transferred to the first day of Easter.
The liturgical texts, in addition to describing the very event of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, also speak of the incomprehensibility of the Nativity of the Savior from the Mother of God, and Mary herself is compared with the “dock” and “ladder” from the vision of Jacob. Through festive hymns, the church conveys to believers the following dogmatic provisions: thanks to the birth of the Savior from the Mother of God, heaven is again united with the earth, Adam is renewed, Eve is freed, and all people become involved in the Divine. The canon of the holiday sings of the greatness of the Most Holy Theotokos, who received God into herself, and also contains indications of Old Testament prophecies about the incarnation of the Son of God.

hymnography

Annunciation, 18th century, Patmos. Gabriel gives the Virgin Mary a scroll with words of greeting, God the Father and the Holy Spirit emanating from him in the form of a dove are visible above
The modern hymnographic formulary of the services of the feast of the Annunciation to a large extent goes back to the Studian Rule and has a commonality with the service of the Sabbath of the Akathist (Saturday of the 5th week of Great Lent).
Greek original Modern Church Slavonic translation
Troparion of the feast φανέρωσις· ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, Υἱὸς τῆς Παρθένου γίνεται, καὶ Γαβριὴλ τὴν χ άριν εὐαγγελίζεται. Διὸ καὶ ἡμεῖς σὺν αὐτῷ, τῇ Θεοτόκῳ βοήσωμεν· Χαῖρε Κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ. Today our salvation is the main thing, and even from the age of the sacrament is a manifestation; The Son of God is the Son of the Virgin, and Gabriel proclaims grace. In the same way, we will cry out to the Theotokos with him: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!
Kontakion of the feast ἀναγράφω σοιἡ Πόλις σου, Θεοτόκε. Ἀλλ’ ὡς ἔχουσα τὸ κράτος ἀπροσμάχητον ἐκ παντοίων με κινδύνων ἐλευθέρωσον , ἵνα κράζω σοι· Χαῖρε, Νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε. Victorious to the chosen Voivode, as if having got rid of the evil ones, thankful we will describe Thy servants, O Theotokos, but as if having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, but we call Thee: Rejoice, Blessed Bride!
The kontakion of the feast is often attributed to Roman the Melodist, but in reality the modern text is a later one (although it retains the original ending Χαῖρε, Νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε) and is the proimium (first kontakion) of the Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos. According to the ancient custom of the Russian Church, in the churches of the Russian liturgical tradition it is also customary to sing it at the First Hour through the prayer "Christ, the True Light", although it is not in the statutory order.
The gospel words of the Archangel Gabriel and the righteous Elizabeth formed a well-known prayer - the Song of the Most Holy Theotokos: “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice, Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you; Blessed are You in women and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, as if the Savior gave birth to our souls. This prayer is part of the cell (home) prayers of believers, and is also a troparion for Sunday Vespers.