Chimeevo, July 5, 2019
Yesterday, we reported on the tragic fire that almost completely destroyed the 19th century Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, at the Holy Kazan Chimeevo monastery in the Kurgan oblast of Russia. It is reported that the fire originated with the air conditioner, from which the flames later spread to the roof of the church. The church was one of only three wooden churches in the region, and now only two remain, which is very tragic for the community in both a spiritual and a cultural-historical sense. Russia is of course famous for its unique style of wooden churches.
Now, a slight silver lining has emerged beyond the horizon of this tragedy.
As Pravoslavie.ru reports, a miraculous icon of the Mother of God for which the monastery was famous, was discovered intact, however badly damaged. The icon was assumed to have been lost with the church.
“Yes, it was found… but the Icon with its oklad1 [covering] strongly suffered.” It was reported from the scene. It was reported by the news, however, that they are not sure whether or not it is possible to restore the icon to its former glory, as iconography experts themselves will need to examine it.
Betting against a miraculous icon, however, is highly inadvisable. Just recently, we published an article about “How icons are renewing themselves and prophecies are being fulfilled”. And this in fact, would not be the first time that this specific icon survived a destructive fire.
According to the site of the monastery, after a fire in 1770, the icon was discovered intact, with only the upper left corner, as well as the right cheek of the Mother of God slightly marked. The icon attracted many pilgrims seeking miraculous healing; the chronicles of the church contain hundreds of records of miraculous healings attributed to the icon.
Matfey Shaheen
