The appearance of the blessed Virgin Mary on the Amur river (July 1900): history, testimonies, memory

The article discusses the legend of the miraculous rescue of Blagoveshchensk from Chinese aggression in the summer of 1900, which was a local manifestation of the Yihetuan Uprising. Orthodox residents of Amur regarded this event as an intercession by the Most Holy Mother of God, manifested through prayers in front of Her Albazin icon. These feelings were reflected in official speeches published in the Diocese of Annunciation Gazette. At the same time, there was a legend about the visible apparition of the Virgin based on the testimonies of some Chinese who had besieged the city. The author analyzed all available evidence of this nature, established their origin, and identified existing connections between them. Primary sources were printed materials from the early 20th century. Efforts were also made to locate the original source of information about the apparition of the Mother of God in the Amur region.At the end of the article, we present a representation of these events within the modern discourse of the Annunciation Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.