The Azov Museum hosts an exhibition dedicated to the Mother of God

The exposition 'Heavenly patron of Azov' operates in the museum of the most ancient city on the territory of the Rostov region. The exhibition is being held with the assistance of the State Tretyakov Gallery. It is timed to coincide with the 450th anniversary of the service of the Don Cossacks to the Russian state and anticipates the 350th anniversary of the birth of Peter I.

Perhaps the most important among the exhibits is the miraculous Ilyinsky Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God, through prayers before which many miraculous healings and cases of heavenly help to those who ask. In addition to the face of the Queen of Heaven with the Divine Infant, the icon depicts the siege of the Azov fortress by the army and fleet of Peter I in 1696. Recall that the capture of Azov is the first in a series of victories won by the Russian tsar, and later by the emperor. The plot of the Azov victory has been repeated many times in the works of Russian icon painting, painting, graphics and literature.

According to legend, the Chernigov Ilyinsky icon was painted at the very end of the 17th century and presented to Peter I in Moscow in honor of the Azov Victoria. Another icon with the same name is in the Museum of the History of St. Petersburg. The same one, which is exhibited in Azov until December 6, was brought from the State Tretyakov Gallery.
The question of why many revered icons to this day remain in Russian museums, and not in churches - houses of prayer - so far, alas, remains unanswered.