The fate of the Tikhvin Icon of the Moth­er of God, its ven­er­a­tion is close­ly inter­twined with the his­to­ry of not only the North-West of Rus­sia, but also our entire coun­try. Two inter­twin­ing plots can be dis­tin­guished — atten­tion from the rul­ing dynas­ties and the sig­nif­i­cance of the icon as a pro­tec­tor, a “strong assis­tant” in mil­i­tary affairs. It is not for noth­ing that it is often called the “pal­la­di­um of Rus­sia”. Since the time of Vasi­ly III’s vis­it to the shores of Tikhvin, Tikhvin has been called the “roy­al pil­grim­age.” The high­est dig­ni­taries vis­it­ed Tikhvin until the begin­ning of the twen­ti­eth cen­tu­ry. The “mil­i­tary glo­ry” of the Tikhvin icon began in the 17th cen­tu­ry. Many gen­er­a­tions of Russ­ian sol­diers went to defend the Moth­er­land with its images.