Bitola, North Macedonia, September 28, 2022
Photo: pod-pokrovom.ru
Since 2017, one icon of the Mother of God has been traveling in a “round-the-world expedition,” most recently stopping in Serbia, North Macedonia, and Jerusalem.
“The image of the Most Holy Theotokos is a symbol of Orthodoxy and Orthodox Russia, and her protecting veil carries the idea of uniting all Orthodox into a single spiritual community across oceans and continents,” explains the site dedicated to the icon’s travels.
The Holy Protection Icon was consecrated in Moscow in May 2017 by His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, then the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and its ongoing journey was organized with support from Elder Iliy (Nozdrin) and the priest and traveler Fr. Feodor Konyukhov.
A map of the icon's first trip around the world. Photo: pod-pokrovom.ru
Since the launch of the expedition in September 2017, the icon has been to Russia, Cyprus, Israel, America, Australia, China, England, Turkey, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Italy, Argentina, Egypt, the Philippines, Japan, Serbia, and North Macedonia.
According to the Diocese of Prespa and Pelagonia of the Macedonian Orthodox Church-Ohrid Archbishopric, the icon arrived at the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Bitola on September 20, in time for the church’s patronal feast.
The diocese also reports that the icon was in the Belgrade Diocese of the Serbian Church before that, where about 400,000 people were able to venerate it. After North Macedonia, the icon’s next stop is Jerusalem.
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