Brailov, Vinnitsa Province, Ukraine, October 13, 2023
Photo: eparhia.vn.ua
Hundreds of monastic and lay pilgrims gathered at the Holy Trinity-Brailov Convent in the Vinnitsa Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church this week to celebrate one of the monastery’s many spiritual treasures.
Every year, the Brailov-Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God, which dates to at least the 17th century, is celebrated on October 10.
This year, the Divine Liturgy for the feast was led by His Eminence Metropolitan Agapit of Mogilev-Podolsk, together with the local hierarch, His Eminence Metropolitan Barsanuphy of Vinnitsa, and His Eminence Metropolitan Nikodom of Zhytomyr, His Eminence Archbishop Viktor of Khmelnitsky, and local and visiting clergy, reports the Vinnitsa Diocese.
Photo: eparhia.vn.ua
The abbesses and sisters of several other convents also joined in the feast.
Various liturgical awards were granted to local priests during the Small Entrance.
Photo: eparhia.vn.ua
At the end of the service, a festive procession was held around the monastery with a copy of the beloved Brailov-Pochaev Icon. During the procession, the bishops read the Holy Gospel and sprinkled the faithful with holy water.
Met. Barsanuphy greeted the visiting hierarchs and clergy and all the faithful and thanked them for the opportunity to prayerfully share in the joy of the feast.
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Photo: eparhia.vn.ua
In 1672, during the capture of the Podolia Region of modern-day Ukraine, the Turks besieged the town of Brailov. Khalil Pasha looted and destroyed the local Orthodox church, taking all its valuables. The Brailov Icon, which was greatly venerated by the people, disappeared at that time.
Two centuries later, in 1887, Archpriest A. F. Khoinatsky, discovered an icon in one of the churches at the Holy Dormition-Pochaev Lavra with the inscription: “Image of the miraculous Icon of the Mother of God of Brailov.”
Studying the icon and its history, he came to the conclusion that it was a copy of the miraculous icon that was once located in Brailov. With the permission of the Lavra authorities, he transferred to the icon to the Brailov Convent on June 1/14, 1888. It was place on the solea to the left of the Royal Doors in the main monastery church.
In 1890, a silver-gilt riza was made for the icon. However, like other valuables, it disappeared after 1917, when the monastery was ransacked by the godless authorities. The fate of the icon itself is unknown after 1962, when the monastery was officially closed.
Today, the monastery has a copy of the wonderworking icon.
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