The Icon of the Mother of God, named "Before Birth and After Birth the Virgin"

Commemorated on October 17

      The Icon of the Mother of God, named "Before Birth and After Birth the Virgin", was transferred to the Nikolaev Peshkovsk monastery of Moscow diocese by the Moscow merchant Aleksei Grigor'evich Mokeev. In about the year 1780 Aleksei joined the brethren of the monastery. He had given all his wealth to the monastery to its monastic head, archimandrite Makarii, and the holy icon remained in his cell. After the death of Aleksei, the icon was brought to the archimandrite, who observed that the icon was written in oil on canvas and not according as proscribed, and he installed it over the exit door to the chapel of the Monk Methodii, which was situated on a street not far from the monastery.
      The glorification of the holy icon began in 1827, when captain Platon Osipovich Shabashev, going by night past the chapel, saw that from the icon of the Most Holy Mother of God issued forth an extraordinary light. Another time he had a vision of the icon during a period circumstances during his life. In a dream Platon beheld the radiant icon of the Mother of God amidst the clouds over the Methodiev chapel and heard a voice: "If thou dost wish to be delivered from temptation, pray before this icon". Platon obeyed the guidance of the Mother of God, and the sorrow passed him by.
      The pious Platon told about the miracles to the monastery head, who transferred the holy image into the monastery. When they went to encase the icon in ornament, it then transpired, that the image of the Most Holy Virgin, written on canvas-linen, was stiffened taunt upon a board, on which was concealed a depiction of the Mother of God of finest quality. Especially numerous were the miracles from this icon in 1848 during a time of cholera, when many praying before it were healed.