Unfading flowers in glass? This is the new reality! Icon of the virgin unfading color Unfading flowers

All believers turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary, some with a request for help, others with gratitude, and still others simply for consolation. The Mother of God is the most revered image among Orthodox Christians, judging by the legends and testimonies, the Mother of God does not leave people alone with their misfortune. The Fadeless Color Icon is one of the most touching images of the Mother of God.

The history of the appearance of the Fadeless Color

On the largest Ionian Greek island of Kefalonia, a tradition has long been led: on the feast of the Annunciation Holy Mother of God(April 7) Pilgrims coming to the island bring white, lily-like flowers. According to the apocrypha, with a similar white flower, which symbolizes immaculate purity, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary with the good news of the immaculate conception. Flowers laid by parishioners under the icon case are not removed until one of the main Orthodox holidays- Assumption (August 28), they lie without water and light. In the twilight, without moisture, the flowers and stems gradually dry out, but by the Dormition, the plants miraculously come to life, the stems are filled with moisture, and instead of dry inflorescences, buds appear, blooming white flowers, thereby becoming an unfading color.

What does the image mean for the Orthodox

According to Byzantine akathists, Jesus Christ and the Queen of Heaven are compared to unfading flowers. It was on the basis of the akathists that the miraculous image of the Mother of God “The Unfading Flower” (XVII century) was created on the sacred Mount Athos.

On the shrine, the Mother of God is depicted with the Son, whom she holds in one hand, in the other hand - a white unfading flower. On some icons, you can see a pink plant (a rose or just a pink branch), and a baby - either on the right hand or on the left. But from a small difference in the images, the meaning of the icon does not lose its power and miraculous power. It is alleged that the first icons depicted the Mother of God, seated on a throne and holding a scepter entwined with a white branch.

The value of the “Fadeless Color” icon for believers can hardly be overestimated; legends are made up about its power. One of the legends tells that the Blessed Virgin helps women preserve their beauty for many years. The significance of the icon is especially great for immaculate virgins who want to find a worthy mate for life. In ancient times, this information was secret, and it was transmitted exclusively through the female line.

Image Help

The face of the Mother of God on the "Fadeless Color" is one of the most tender, peaceful, beautiful, radiating calmness, joy, love. It seems that one glance at the enchanting image is enough for sorrows to subside, anxieties to dissipate, and the soul to calm down.

What does the image help with?

preserve women's youth;
keep chastity;
girls find a life partner;
gain understanding between loved ones;
relieve mental confusion;
direct to the right path;
solve family problems;
protect the family hearth from troubles;
family people to get rid of temptations;
keep the family, family values.

The “Fadeless Color” icon was used to bless the bride at the wedding for a happy marriage.

What to pray for

The main thing when reading a prayer is sincerity and faith. Sincere prayer to the Mother of God helps to dispel fears and anxieties. The rebellious seeking soul calms down, becomes peaceful. Before the image, you need to pray for the expulsion of gloomy thoughts, peace of mind, ask the Mother of God for understanding, peace for the family. People who are confused in life, looking for their own path, can safely turn to the holy image for guidance on the true path.

Most often, young virgins turn to Mother to find the only one with whom you can live your whole life without trouble. Girls who want to avoid worldly temptations and devote their lives to serving the Almighty also pray. Married women pray if domestic problems arise, there is a split and misunderstanding. It is believed that the Queen of Heaven helps a married couple maintain good relations and strengthen the family.

miraculous image

Since ancient times, people believe in miracles sent by the "Fadeless Color". Hundreds of thousands of Christians got rid of spiritual anxieties thanks to the holy image. Many testify of real healings. Mother especially loves and helps children. Cases are described when parents prayed before the Intercessor for the health of sick children and the children received healing. The children's speech problems disappeared, and one day, a dumb child began to speak after the prayer of his parents.

World lists of shrines

The study of the iconography of the image is varied. After the appearance of the “Fadeless Color”, many versions of icon painting arose, differing in detail, but identical in meaning. Some researchers are inclined to believe that the appearance of the first Athos copy was in Constantinople. Like it or not, since then three main well-known areas of icon painting of the Virgin have emerged:

Russian.
Bulgarian.
Greek.

Each direction has its own traditions. Flowers on copies can be found not only white, but pink and even red. But in all the images one can guess the prototype of the lily, presented to the Queen of Heaven by the Archangel Gabriel. In the historical museum of Athens there is a 16th-century image, on which the Son of God, and not the Mother of God, holds a branch. And in the 17th century, iconography was created in Belarus with royal crowns on the heads of the Mother of God and the baby. It is assumed that it was from this copy that the tradition of painting the Divine Infant and the Virgin with crowns on their heads was born, which does not contradict the principles of Christian icon painting.

On later lists in the 19th century, the compositions are simpler and yield to ancient images in richness of color and detail. The compositions become simpler, many attributes disappear, the branches are not depicted as luxurious and bright.

Moscow lists

IN pre-revolutionary Russia there was a Moscow monastery for unmarried girls, it was called Alekseevsky. It was there that the oldest list of the “Fadeless Color” icon was kept, in front of which the girls prayed for the preservation of spiritual purity and the observance of bodily purity. Most likely, the list was brought to the Russian Empire almost immediately after the image was painted in the 17th century, since one known copy is dated 1691. The copy differs from the rest: on it the baby stands in full growth, rests his hand on the shoulder of the seated Mother of God. A ribbon with the name of the icon is entwined on the right side of the Mother of God. On the throne is a jug with a beautiful white branch.

Another famous list was kept in the Church of the Assumption at Mogiltsy. The lower part of the copy depicts a beautiful blossoming lily, on which stands the Son of God. The mother supports the baby with one hand, with the other she holds a white branch, angels hover over her head. The Church of the Assumption was mentioned in their works by Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Alexander Griboyedov. The church has now been resurrected and houses a modern copy of the "Fadeless Colour," since the old copy disappeared under the Soviets.

Where can I see "Fadeless Color"

Lists of miraculous icons can be seen by visiting the following holy places:

Russia, Moscow: Krasnoe Selo, St. Alekseevsky Monastery (until 1757 the original was located here).
Voronezh: Church of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God. The image was revered and loved by Seraphim of Sarov, who prayed to him in the temple of the town of Kadom (Ryazan region).
Samara region: an amazing incident occurred in the house of a Christian woman, on window glass a miraculous image of the “Fadeless Color” appeared, which disappears with the onset of night and appears with dawn. It was in 2012 on April 16 (the day of the celebration of the "Fadeless Color", April 3 - according to the old style). Since then, countless pilgrims have come to see and pray for the miracle. They even tried to convict the hostess of fraud, there were many commissions in the house, but nothing came of it, the Face of the Virgin still appears on the glass every morning.
Yeysk district: miraculous spring, which was revived in 2008.
Ukraine, Kiev region: in the Vasilkovsky district there is a temple consecrated in honor of this image.
Kherson region: Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, here the icon differs from the rest in that it bleeds, many sick people and just believers come here to look at miraculous icon and pray to her from the bottom of my heart.

The Power of the Image for Modern Believers

Pilgrims flock en masse to Greece to Mount Athos to admire the amazing image of the Mother of God and tell her about their troubles, ask for healing for themselves and their relatives. Orthodox believe that they will receive healing or forgiveness in illness, peace, help and resolution of family problems. The Holy Fathers warn that Mother helps only with sincere prayer, if the request "help" comes from the heart, only with faith.

Athos priests compare the gentle branches on the images with the pure souls of people. This means that plants wither without vital moisture, and without true faith and love, the human soul becomes stale, its most positive features disappear. But after a soulful prayer from a comprehensive unconditional love God and the Mother of God, the soul can be reborn to a new righteous life, just as miraculous branches are reborn on sacred icon painting.

Where should the icon be located in the house?

The main place in the house should be given to Jesus Christ and the Savior. For home interior No strict rules placement of icon paintings, as for churches. "Fadeless Color" can be placed in any place convenient for quiet prayer. The main thing is to highlight the image of the "red corner", place it above the rest of the lists (except for Christ), decorate it, as is customary in Orthodoxy. Placement in cluttered cabinets is unacceptable, and no foreign objects should be placed next to the shrine, except for the details that adorn the Virgin.

Connoisseurs of jewelry art consider the stone precious flowers of this famous company to be the true art of Faberge.

I invite you to admire the unfading masterpieces of the Faberge firm and modern
jewelry craftsmen of the "Anna Nova" House, which continues
tradition of creating exquisite miniatures of stone and precious metals.
I have long been fascinated by them, let them bloom here too.

For his stone masterpieces, Faberge used rock crystal, chalcedony, carnelian, agate, aquamarine, opal, jasper, obsidian, jade, rhodonite and other stones. The stones were selected with great taste, and Faberge could skillfully change the natural color of the mineral, obtaining the desired shades and tones. He boldly combined noble and ignoble materials. All the talent, imagination of the artist, the skill of the virtuoso enameller, stone cutter and the painstaking work of Carl Faberge manifested themselves here in full. Products were as close to nature as possible. In the Moscow workshop of Faberge, a special greenhouse was set up where plants were grown, which later served as models for stone miniatures. The working album of Karl Gustavovich with detailed photos fresh flowers.
Products were not branded due to the fragility of the material.

From a series of flowers in vases with "water" made of rock crystal, perhaps the most famous flower is a dandelion from the Armory of the Moscow Kremlin. The most striking thing about this flower is that at the ends of its silver stamens, real dandelion fluff is inexplicably fixed. Moreover, small diamonds are scattered on top, which, under certain lighting, sparkle like dew drops.
Even biologists were called in for an examination of the fluff, and they reliably established that it is real, and the age of the fluff corresponds to the date of creation of this masterpiece - about a hundred years. How Faberge managed to fix weightless fluffs and achieve their safety is completely incomprehensible.

Dandelion in a vase. C. Faberge, 1914-1917 Armouries

Among the refined flowers of Faberge, pansies are most common, which symbolized the thoughts of the donor about the subject of his thoughts and were romantically called "Cupid's delights."
The pansy flower is made of gold and covered with the most delicate polychrome enamels. The leaves are carved from jade, and the rock crystal glass is crafted so skillfully that it seems as if water has been poured into it.

Pansies. Firm C. Faberge Author master G. Wigstrom (1862 - 1930).

Henrik Emmanuel Wigström is a goldsmith of Finnish origin, assistant to the famous master Mikhail Perkhin, since 1903 the chief master of the Faberge firm.

Nicholas II presented these pansies of G. Wingstrem to his wife on the tenth anniversary of their wedding. A special miniature mechanism is hidden inside the flower, which is triggered by pressing a tiny button. The petals of the flower open, and portraits of all the children of the imperial family appear inside it.

Pansies. Faberge firm, master G. Wigstrom.
Rock crystal, diamonds, glass, bone, gold. Museums of Moscow Kremlin

Another flower "Pansies"

Golden flower covered with enamel, Faberge firm

The same flower in different lighting

Cornflowers in a rock crystal vase. Silver gilt stems, petals
made in the technique of guilloche enamel, stamens are decorated with pink diamonds.

Precious cornflowers, St. Petersburg, 1900

These "Cornflowers" were purchased from Faberge in 1944.
British Queen Mary for Queen Elizabeth.

Cornflowers and stalks of oats. Gold, rock crystal, diamonds; casting,
carving, chasing, polishing, enamel. High 29 cm
1880s

Narcissus with jade leaves and rock crystal water

Narcissus, firm C. Faberge, after 1904. Hermitage, St. Petersburg

In 1896, Alexandra Fedorovna received a bouquet of lilies of the valley by Faberge as a gift from the merchants of Nizhny Novgorod, a copy of an ancient Chinese palace decoration. The Empress was delighted with pearl-brilliant lilies of the valley with jade leaves in a golden basket. Since then, this bouquet usually stood on her table.

Basket with lilies of the valley, Faberge firm, master August Holstrom. 1896 Gold, silver, jade, pearls, diamond

Lily of the valley flower. Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
acquired this symbol of spring on March 22, 1914.

Lily of the valley. K. Faberge. Gold, pearls, jade, rock crystal.

He is

More Faberge lilies of the valley:

The largest collection of stone flowers by Faberge is now owned by the English Queen Elizabeth II, 26 works out of 80 made.
The main part of the collection was collected at one time by Queen Alexandra of Britain, who is the sister of the Russian Empress Maria Feodorovna.

Don't miss the decorations! Carl Faberge's jewelry was available to different strata of society. Most of all, the master appreciated the idea, not the cost. Therefore, it was possible to purchase a brooch for 1 ruble and for one hundred thousand rubles.

Three Faberge brooches with flowers:

C. Faberge - Brooch "Iris" with diamonds, carved stone with iris

In this video you can see not only flowers, but also Faberge berries:

For those who are not in a hurry. Film about the Faberge Museum in St. Petersburg:

"House "Anna Nova" was established in 2004 in St. Petersburg. From the very beginning, the main direction of the company's creative activity was the creation of exquisite miniatures from stone and precious metals. The history of such precious "trinkets" has a long tradition both in Europe and in Russia where the best of them were made by the firm of Carl Faberge.Anna Nova Jewelry House aims to continue and develop the traditions of this type of jewelry art at the very high level." (Website -

Live flowers are lovely gift and the best interior decoration. Unfortunately, their life is short, beauty is fleeting and short-lived. Surprisingly, in our time, technologies have appeared that allow us to preserve the fragile beauty of a bouquet for several years!

What do they offer modern technologies? How to keep the freshness of a natural flower for a long time?

Why don't flowers wither?

Stabilized flowers, dehydrated flowers, eternal fresh flowers - these are the names of live plants processed using a special technology. During processing, all moisture is removed from freshly cut flowers and replaced with a special liquid based on glycerin, which stops the natural processes of photosynthesis and metabolism in the plant. The flower, as it were, is preserved, does not fade, its aging stops.

This is a complex process, the features of which are kept secret by the manufacturers. As well as the exact composition of the solutions in which the flowers are immersed. After such processing, not only the natural color is preserved, the feeling of freshness when touched, but even a slight natural aroma is present! Other elements of living decor are also processed in this way - leaves, ornamental grasses, branches. deciduous trees and shrubs, conifers.

At the same time, the flower remains fresh for a long time. According to various sources, a stabilized bouquet can delight with natural beauty and freshness for several months and even years. And the flowers in glass from Natural Flower Products retain their natural beauty for up to 8 years!

What are the benefits of stabilized colors?

Florists create real works of art from fresh flowers. What a pity that they are short-lived! With new technologies, it is possible to preserve beauty for a long time.

Unlike traditional bouquets, dehydrated flower arrangements have the following important advantages:

do not require maintenance, watering and sunlight;
retain their natural appearance for several years;
do not depend on the seasonality factor.

How to properly store preserved flowers?

Unfading flowers will amaze with their beauty for a long time, if you follow a few rules for handling them:

prevent water from entering;
do not store them in rooms with increased level humidity;
avoid direct sunlight.

The most suitable temperature for storing stabilized plants is +5…35°C, the optimum air humidity is 60–80%.

The only problem, besides water ingress and high humidity in the room, is dust. There is always a certain amount of dust in the air, it settles on all surfaces and the bouquet will also soon become dusty. How to clean it? fresh flowers and houseplants simply sprayed or immersed in water. But dehydrated flowers are afraid of water! Mechanical cleaning is also easy to damage

Flowers in glass are the best choice!

This problem is easily solved with glass containers. Round transparent vessels, wide glass tubes, vases of various shapes - all this is used in interior design. They are appropriate in any style, easily combined with each other, combined with ceramics, wood, metal. "Eternal" flowers can be placed in such a vessel and all care problems will be immediately simplified.

An unfading flower is called tailed amaranth ( Amaranthus caudatus). The ancient Greeks saw it as a symbol of immortality. And not in vain: amaranth inflorescences look spectacular both in the garden and in winter bouquets; dried, they retain their beauty for a long time.

Amaranth came to Europe from the East Indies in 1596. The colored waterfalls of its luxurious inflorescences made such a strong impression that in Sweden, Queen Christina in 1653 founded the Order of Knights of Amaranth. And to this day, despite the rather demanding nature, these flowers are loved by gardeners. It is far from being as exotic as its "close relative" Australian endemic, but its cultivation does not cause perplexed questions and bitter disappointments.

External Data

Amaranth tailed – annual plant. In favorable conditions, it reaches a height of one and a half meters. Amaranth grows slowly at first, so it is grown exclusively by seedlings; optimal time sowing seeds for the Non-Black Earth zone - mid-March.

The uniqueness of this plant lies in its unusual paniculate inflorescences, consisting of many small burgundy-red or yellow-green flowers. Amaranth blooms about two and a half months after shoots appear. Appearing at the top of the plant, the inflorescences gradually grow, drooping and hanging down; the length of the inflorescences can reach up to 80 cm.

Growing amaranth seedlings and choosing a place in the garden

Sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out to a depth of one and a half centimeters. The optimum temperature for seedlings is from +20 to +24 * C; under such conditions, the first sprouts appear already on the 4th - 5th day. It is important to protect the seedlings from the cold; when placing containers on the window, take care to protect the roots from hypothermia. The recommended air temperature for seedlings is from +19 to +21 * C.

Seedlings need good lighting. So that the plants do not shade each other, the seedlings are thinned out, removing weak plants, and when 1 - 2 true leaves appear, they dive into pots 6 x 6 cm in size. In the garden for amaranth, you should also choose a bright area.

To protect against the black leg, seedlings are watered with a pale solution of potassium permanganate. Treatment with bioregulators (for example, immunocytophyte or epin) is useful in order to increase the resistance of plants to adverse conditions. Top dressing is desirable to limit, given the slow growth of seedlings.

Soils for growing amaranth are preferred loamy or sandy, well-drained. It is advisable to prepare the site in the fall; digging up the soil, they introduce humus (at the rate of 5 kg per square meter), potash and phosphate fertilizers. planting plants in open ground possible after the threat of late frost has passed.

The optimal planting pattern is 40 x 70 cm. It is preferable to place amaranth in the background of the flower garden or plant it in separate groups - this will not only emphasize its features, but also allow you to hide the stakes to which adult plants are tied.

Features of care

During the summer, amaranth requires regular feeding. 1 - 2 times per season organic fertilizer is applied to the soil; full mineral feed flowers up to three times during the summer. It is necessary to monitor soil moisture: an adult plant is able to endure drought, but at the same time almost completely stops growing.
Timely care should be taken to protect against pests. Amaranth inflorescences are often affected by aphids. To get rid of it, treatment with biological preparations Akarin or Fitoverm is recommended.

Grown up amaranths must be tied up. In June, pinch the tops so that the plants do not stretch; amaranth planted in the ground grows quite quickly. At the end of August, the inflorescences are cut off for winter bouquets and quickly dried with hot air to maintain their shape and color.