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| Icons from the Workshops of St. Elisabeth Convent |
Today we commemorate the feast of the
Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God. The celebration in honor of the Pochaev Icon
of the Mother of God on July 23 (August 5) was established in memory of the
deliverance of the Dormition Lavra Monastery from a Turkish siege on July
20-23, 1675. On that day the when the Turkish army was preparing to assault the
monastery the Mother of God, surrounded by angels with unsheathed swords
appeared in the sky. The Turks panicked, started to fire arrows in the sky and
seeing the image unscathed, turned to flee.
The story of the icon dates back to
the 13th century when 2 monks settled on the hill where the
Dormition Lavra Monastery is now located. While Praying on the top of the hill
one of the monks saw the Theotokos standing on a stone, encircled by flames. In
a great joy, he called another monk and a herdsman by the name of Ioann Bosoi.
Together they began glorifying God...
Troparion
Those who pray before your holy icon,
O Lady, / Are vouchsafed healing and receive the knowledge of the true faith, /
And they repel the attacks of the Hagarenes. / Therefore entreat remission of
sins / For us who fall down before you. / Enlighten our hearts to thoughts of
piety, / And raise a prayer to your Son to save our souls.
Kontakion
Your icon of Pochaev, O Theotokos, /
Is become a source of healing and the confirmation of the Orthodox Faith. /
Therefore deliver us who have recourse to you / From calamity and temptation. /
Preserve your monastery unharmed. / Confirm Orthodoxy in the surrounding lands,
/ And forgive the sins of those who pray to you; / For you can do as you will.
CONVERSATION