Below
them is the scene of desolation caused by the Chernobyl disaster, along with
those who died because of it. As well as white-robed figures, there are various
medical workers, nuclear staff, and soldiers, all of whom battled to contain
the fall-out of the explosion and evacuate residents. They are being blessed by
Christ for their sacrifice, Who is above all and sovereign over all.
In the
bottom centre is a tree which, because of its natural shape, was used by the
Germans to hang opposition forces during the Second-World War. It became a
small graveyard and memorial for those killed there, in the shadow of the
Chernobyl nuclear plant. After the 1986 disaster it was poisoned and died.
The icon
was blessed in the Kyiv Pecherska Lavra by His Beatitude Volodymyr on the 28th
August, 2003, the Feast of the Dormition. At the moment of its blessing, a
miraculous occurrence took place, witnessed by the thousands gathered. A dove
flew over the icon and high in the sky, with no rain in sight, a rainbow
appeared in the form of a nimbus. Then three crosses appeared, resplendent in
the centre of the nimbus.
Source: https://iconreader.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/about-the-chernobyl-saviour-icon/
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