Urusovo, Tula Province, Russia, July 26, 2021
Photo: vk.com
While myrrh-streaming icons are typically a rare phenomenon in holy Orthodoxy, by which God reveals His presence to strengthen and comfort the faithful, there are times and places where God especially pours out His grace.
One village church, just shy of a three-hour drive south of Moscow, is currently home 16 myrrh-streaming items: 9 icons and 7 crosses.
An icon of the Mother of God “of the Sign” at the Church of the Archangel Michael in the village of Urusovo began to stream in February 2020, and has been periodically streaming since then.
“I was very surprised when I saw it. It was a shock for me. At first I thought it was rust. But a few days later, the icon began to weep even more strongly, with bloody tears,” parishioner Vitaly Nikolaev recalled for myslo.ru. The article was posted on the parish’s page on Russian social media.
The Mother of God icon began to weep again on July 20, followed by an icon of Christ Himself, which was eventually covered with spots of blood.
Photo: vk.com
“It’s considered that this happens to comfort us. The saints don’t leave us; they’re with us. But everyone perceives the sign in their own way,” Nikolaev commented.
The Mother of God “of the Sign” is a two-sided icon, with the Inexhaustible Cup on the back. After the icon began to stream, another image—of the Holy Myrrh-bearers, began to appear, Nikolaev told gazeta-venev.ru.
Photo: cdnmyslo.ru
In total, 16 pieces are now streaming, including icons of the Archangel Michael and an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker that is constantly streaming. The very first icon to begin streaming at the church was of the Healer and Great Martyr St. Panteleimon.
Many people have been coming to the church in hopes of a miracle.
Тhe Church of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple in Solodniki in the Astrakhan Province is also home to 18 myrrh-streaming icons, and in April 2020, OrthoChristian reported on 15 myrrh-streaming icons and liturgical items at the Church of the Archangel Michael in the village of Voron-Lozovka in the Lipetsk Province.
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