Kiev, July 15, 2015
On July 27, seven wonderworking icons of the Mother of God will be brought to the Vladimirskaya Gorka park in Kiev from various dioceses of the Ukraine, reports UNIAN with reference to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s information center. Archimandrite Viktor (Kotsabu), head of the Administrative Apparatus of the Kiev Metropolia of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC MP), relates the stories of all these seven holy icons.
These are the Zimne, Pichayiv, Akhtyrka, Kasperovskaya, Peschanskaya, Svyatogorsk and “See My Humility” Icons.
The Zimne Icon of Holy Theotokos
“The Zimne Icon of the Mother of God, according to tradition, was given by the Patriarch of Constantinople to the Byzantine princess Anna as a blessing for her marriage with Grand Prince Vladimir of Kiev. The princess herself played a crucial role in the prince’s baptism. As is known from the primary chronicle, the Tale of Bygone Years, during the invasion of Korsun (the Chersonese) Vladimir became blind. And it was princess Anna who persuaded him to embrace Christianity as soon as possible so as to get rid of the spiritual and physical blindness. When the prince was in the baptismal font, he saw light issuing from the icon of Theotokos, and his eyesight was immediately restored”.
Sumy: a procession of the cross with the Akhtyrka Icon of Holy Theotokos.
The Pochayev Icon of the Mother of God was donated to noblewoman Anna Goyskaya by the future Patriarch Neophyte of Constantinople: “In the summer of 1675, during the Zbarazh War with the Turks, through the prayers before the wonderworking icon, Pochayev Monastery was rescued from the Tatar khan. When the akathist was being sung, the Most Blessed Virgin suddenly appeared over the church with omophorion in Her hands. The Tatars began shooting at the Mother of God, but all the arrows they released fell backwards and wounded the shooters”.
The Pochayev Icon of Holy Theotokos
The Akhtyrka Icon of the Mother of God since its appearance in 1739 has helped those suffering from fever: “Water with which the icon was washed obtained a curative power and those who drank it were healed. This iconographic type is notable for the fact that in different copies the All-Holy Virgin is depicted with omophorion, crowned or with Her head uncovered”.
“The Kasperovskaya Icon of the Mother of God became the protectress of Odessa during the Crimean War. “During the siege of Odessa by the British Navy the city residents, with the blessing of the Holy Hierarch Innocent of Chersonese, in a cross procession took the wonderworking icon from the Kasperovo village and carried it through the streets of Odessa. Through the intercession of the Holy Theotokos Odessa remained absolutely undamaged and six months later the siege was lifted.”
The Kasperovskaya Icon of Holy Theotokos
The Peschanskaya Icon of the Mother of God appeared to the Holy Hierarch Joasaph of Belgorod (1705-1754) in a dream and was later found by him near the town of Izym (the Ukraine’s Kharkiv region): “Owing to prayers before this wonderworking icon the plague epidemic was stopped in the Kharkiv province in 1830.
During the First World War this icon was at the High Command General Headquarters for several months, till the end of 1915. Over that period no defeats were suffered, and only victories gained.”
The Peschanskaya Icon of Holy Theotokos
The Svyatogorsk Icon of the Mother of God dates back to the 19th century. “One Athonite elder who came to Svyatogorsk (Sviatohirsk in the north of Donetsk region) in 1844 following the foundation of the monastery liked it very much. Being unable to donate anything to the monastery and suffering from this, the monk painted this icon for it. Some time later many healing miracles from this icon were reported.”
The Svyatogorsk, or “the Holy Mountains” Lavra. A procession of the cross with the Svyatogorsk Icon of Holy Theotokos
“The Icon of the Mother of God, “See My Humility”, is probably the only icon in the Orthodox world that left an imprint on the glass that covered it, but did not touch it. “The miracle occurred in summer 1993. According to the scientific investigation, the imprint on the glass has an organic origin and is a reflection (not made by hand) of the image of the Blessed Virgin and Christ Child, which on a white background looks like a positive, and on a dark background, like a negative”.
Kiev, a procession of the cross with the Icon of Theotokos, “See My Humility"
At 14.00 on July 27 the seven icons of the Mother of God will be brought to the Vladimirskaya Gorka park where a prayer service dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of the repose of the Holy Prince Vladimir will be held, and then in a cross procession the shrines will be brought to the Kiev Caves Lavra. At 17.00 the Vigil service will begin. At 09.00 on July 28 the festal Divine Liturgy will begin at the Kiev Caves Lavra. The faithful will be able to venerate the wonderworking icons on July 27 and 28.
