Russian Icon of the Holy Blessed Matrona of Moscow

Among all Eastern Orthodox icons of saints, Russian icons of the Holy Blessed Matrona of Moscow are some of the most venerated for a simple reason: they depict a renowned saint of the Russian Orthodox Church, known for her incredible gift of healing and spiritual vision. For today, the Russian icon of the Holy Blessed Matrona of Moscow can be found in almost any church in Russia, and there are even Christian churches built in honor of this important saint. It is also worth noting that the Holy Blessed Matrona of Moscow is venerated not only in Russia. For example, on 15 February 2018, this saint was included in the Calendar of the Romanian Orthodox Church by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Patriarchate.

In this blog post, let’s take a closer look at the life of the Holy Blessed Matrona of Moscow and the Russian icon with the image of this revered saint.

The Holy Blessed Matrona of Moscow

The Holy Blessed Matrona of Moscow (Matrona Nikonova) was born in a poor family in Tula region in 1881. She was the fourth and the youngest child of Dmitry Nikonov and Natalia Nikonova who were very honest and hardworking people. Matrona was born blind. Moreover, she had no eyes at all. However, the girl never felt miserable as already at an early age, she acquired the gift of spiritual vision and healing. This fact soon became widely known, and Matrona’s home began to draw people from all over the country, who hoped she would work a miracle for them. And she did… all her life.

Russian icon of the Holy Blessed Matrona of Moscow

There are several iconographic types of the Russian icons depicting the Holy Blessed Matrona of Moscow. The most common of them are represented by hand-painted icons showing her half- or full-length, with her eyes closed and her right hand raised in blessing. The Russian icon of the Holy Blessed Matrona of Moscow is one of the most popular religious icons used by Orthodox Christian believers when praying for family happiness and finding true love. Besides, St. Matrona is also believed to help people overcome different financial problems.

All through her life, the Holy Blessed Matrona of Moscow was surrounded by religious icons. She was a blind-born and illiterate person but knew everything about her icons and the world around her. St. Matrona said that God opened her eyes and showed her His creations. It is no wonder that every Russian icon of the Holy Blessed Matrona of Moscow is so much venerated today.