The Volokolamsk Icon of the Mother of God
Commemorated on March 3
The Volokolamsk
Icon of the Mother of God – is a copy of the Vladimir Icon of the Moscow
Uspenie cathedral. The icon was brought from Zvenigorod to the Uspenie
monastery of the Monk Joseph of Volotsk on 2 March 1572, during the 2nd week of
Great Lent and was solemnly met by hegumen Leonid (1563-1566; 1568-1573)
together with all the monastic brethren.
It is distinguished
by its particular depiction on the margins of Sainted Kyprian (right) and
Sainted Gerontii (left), metropolitans of Moscow.
With the name of
Metropolitan Kyprian is associated the first arrival of the ancient Vladimir
Icon of the Mother of God from Byzantium to Moscow in the year 1395, and under
Metropolitan Gerontii in 1480 the Vladimir Icon came finally to Moscow.
In the year 1588 the
Volokolamsk Icon was dedicated atop the gate in the church at the south gates
of the Josepho-Volotsky monastery in honour of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon
of the Most Holy Mother of God (Comm. 26 August).
At the end of the
XVII Century, when a church of the same name was built in Moscow at Staraya
Basmanna, the atop the gate church of Joseph of Volotsk was re-dedicated in the
name of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. The Volokolamsk Icon was transferred
to its proper place on the iconostas of the new cathedral Uspensky church of
the Josepho-Volotsky monastery.
In its useage at the
Josepho-Volotsky monastery, this icon in 1578 was accounted as wonderworking.
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.