Church celebrates the feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos
The Icon of the Protection. Photo: the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra website
On October 14, the Church prayerfully celebrates the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos and commemorates the miraculous appearance of the Mother of God to those praying in the Blachernae Church in Constantinople in 910.
This feast is not one of the Twelve Great Feasts, but it is beloved by Orthodox Christians.
The feast is established in honor of a miraculous event that took place in 910 in Constantinople when St Andrew the Fool-for-Christ and his disciple Epiphanius had a vision of the Protection of the Mother of God.
These were difficult times for Byzantium. The empire was threatened by the Saracens, who practised Islam. As the barbarian forces approached Constantinople, the residents of the Byzantine capital, preparing for death and seeing no help in sight, flocked in large numbers to the Blachernae Church, where the robe of the Theotokos and her veil were kept, and prayed.
On Sunday, October 1, 910, during the all-night vigil, St Andrew the Fool-for-Christ saw the Theotokos walking through the air, radiant with light and surrounded by angels and saints. First, she tearfully prayed for the Christians, and then she removed her veil from her head and spread it over the people praying in the church, protecting them from visible and invisible enemies.
The miraculous protection saved the city. A storm arose and scattered the barbarian ships, sparing the people of Constantinople from death.
Read also
Kosovo to enact law restricting Serbian Church, experts say
Analysts warn that the new "Law on Foreigners" in Kosovo could restrict the presence of clergy, believers' access to shrines, and increase pressure on the Serbian community.
Congress Speaker: Demand to introduce Sharia law in USA is a serious problem
The Speaker of the House of Representatives stated that there is growing concern in society about attempts to impose Islamic law, which is incompatible with the American Constitution.
UK government introduces restrictions on "anti-Muslim hostility"
UK authorities have adopted a new definition of "Islamophobia" which, according to experts, could provide Muslims with special protection and restrict freedom of speech.
Dumenko brings icon in Church Slavonic to Ministry of Health
Epifaniy presented cardiologists with an Intercession icon, with inscriptions in Church Slavonic, which his structure calls a "sign of the Moscow tradition".
ISIS supporters carries out terrorist attack at anti-Islamic protest in NY
Near the home of New York's Muslim mayor, radicals threw two makeshift bombs at protesters during an anti-Islamic rally.
Hryshchuk: If UOC hands over its church itself, angle grinders aren't needed
An OCU chaplain called on UOC believers to accept the loss of the shrine for the sake of their own "enlightenment".