Lublin, October 28, 2026
Photo: orthodox.pl
One of the oldest images of the Mother of God venerated in the Lublin-Chełm Diocese, an icon that Sts. Cyril and Methodius carried to Moravia in the 9th century, was honored with festal services in Lublin, Poland, on October 24-25.
The Cathedral of the Transfiguration welcomed hierarchs, clergy, and many faithful and pilgrims for the celebration of the Lublin Icon of the Mother of God, reports the Polish Orthodox Church.
According to the icon’s history, after the deaths of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, their disciples feared persecution from Latin missionaries and took the image to Rus’. At the turn of the 17th century, the brothers Konstanty and Iwan Ostrogski, defenders and patrons of Orthodox tradition, gave it as a gift to the Church of the Transfiguration in Lublin. In 1915, during World War I, Orthodox residents of Lublin evacuated the icon, along with some of the church’s furnishings, deep into Russia. It never returned to the city. Today, parishioners venerate a copy they bought in the interwar period.
Three hierarchs of the Orthodox Church in Poland took part: His Eminence Archbishop Abel of Lublin and Chełm, His Eminence Archbishop Paisjusz of Przemyśl and Gorlice, and His Grace Bishop Atanazy of Łódź and Poznań.
Photo: orthodox.pl
The festal morning began with the hierarchs being greeted by children, the church warden, and the cathedral’s rector, Mitered Archpriest Andrzej Łoś. In his words of welcome, Fr. Andrzej spoke of the Mother of God’s special intercession over the Lublin land.
After the Gospel reading, Archbishop Paisjusz gave the homily. He told the history of the Lublin Icon and spoke of the maternal warmth that reaches everyone who brings requests and spiritual troubles to the Mother of God with faith and love. He also addressed the dangers of the modern world, which he said come from disobeying God’s will and from a weakening of love for one’s neighbor.
“Our ancestors, dear brothers and sisters, knew the remedy for all the pain of daily life, for wrongs, persecution, and uncertainty about tomorrow,” Archbishop Paisjusz said. “For them, the face of the Most Holy Theotokos was a salvation. Looking down for centuries on the people of Lublin, she gave comfort, pulled them from the snares of doubt, and granted them hope. Just as her beloved Son did today in Nain, before the pain and suffering of a poor widow left alone to the extreme. Where Christ is, where the Mother of God is, there is hope. Let us believe it!”
Photo: orthodox.pl
The Liturgy was followed by a procession with the icon. The celebration closed with wishes of many years and a shared agape meal.
The troparion to the Lublin Icon of the Mother of God speaks of preserving the faith and heritage: “Before Thy venerable icon, which thou gavest long ago to the Orthodox people of the city of Lublin, O almighty Helper, we pray to Thee with tenderness: Strengthen in us the holy Orthodox faith, and with the light of Christ’s love enlighten our hardened hearts.”
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