5th Saturday of Great Lent: of the Akathist to the Theotokos

On the Fifth Saturday of Great Lent, the Saturday of the Akathist, we commemorate the “Laudation of the Virgin” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.

In 625, when the emperor Heraclius was fighting the Persians, the Khan sent forces to attack Constantinople by land and by sea. Patriarch Sergius urged the people not to lose heart, but to trust in God.

A procession was made around the city with the Cross of the Lord, the robe of the Virgin, the Icon of the Savior not made by hands, and the Hodigitria Icon of the Mother of God. The Patriarch dipped the Virgin’s robe in the sea, and the city’s defenders beat back the Khan’s sea forces. The sea became very rough, and many boats sank. The invaders retreated, and the people of Constantinople gave thanks to God and to His Most Pure Mother.

On two other occasions, in 655 and 705, the Theotokos protected the city from Saracen invaders. A feastday dedicated to the Laudation of the Virgin was established to commemorate these victories. The Akathist to the Mother of God is believed to originate from this period, and its use has spread from Constantinople to other Orthodox lands.

The icon before which the Akathist was sung was given to the Dionysiou Monastery on Mt. Athos by Emperor Alexius Comnenos. There, it began to flow with myrrh. There were at least three wonderworking copies of this icon in Russia before the Revolution.

This icon shows the Mother of God seated on a throne, and surrounded by Prophets with scrolls.

The Orthodox Church in America

3/27/2015

See also
The Laudation of the Holy Theotokos The Laudation of the Holy Theotokos The Laudation of the Holy Theotokos The Laudation of the Holy Theotokos
As we near the end of the Great Lent, its most intensive moment - the Passion of our Lord, which accomplished the salvation of mankind through Christ’s glorious Resurrection, - the Church reminds us that it is most fitting at this point to glorify the Holy Virgin. Akathist to the Holy Virgin Akathist to the Holy Virgin Akathist to the Holy Virgin Akathist to the Holy Virgin
To Thee, the Champion Leader, we Thy servants dedicate a feast of victory and of thanksgiving as ones rescued out of sufferings, O Theotokos: but as Thou art one with might which is invincible, from all dangers that can be do Thou deliver us, that we may cry to Thee: Rejoice, O Unwedded Bride! The Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God The Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God
Hieromonk Job (Gumerov), Fr. Michael Carney, Archimandrite Ephrem (Lash) The Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God The Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God
Hieromonk Job (Gumerov), Fr. Michael Carney, Archimandrite Ephrem (Lash)
As the hymn progresses, various individuals and groups encounter Christ and His Mother. Each has his own need; each his own desire or expectation, and each finds his or her own particular spiritual need satisfied and fulfilled in Our Lord and in the Mother of God. So too, each generation of Orthodox, and each particular person who has prayed the Akathist, has found in this hymn an inspired means of expressing gratitude and praise to the Mother of God for what she has accomplished for their salvation.
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