The Turks want the icon of Panagia Sumela in Trabzon

 

Turkish newspaper Sabah reports that Turkey has made a request for the transport of historical, miraculous icon of Panagia Sumela from Vermio to Trabzon. 

The Strange and Modern Miracle of St Nicholas’ Icon

 

Holy Trinity hosts miraculous St. Anna icon

POTTSTOWN--The miraculous myrrh-streaming icon of St. Anna, the mother of Mary, the Virgin, will be brought to Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, 1236 Juniper St., at 4 p.m. today.

Virgin Mary Icon In Honolulu Produces Myrrh - Cures Man Of Blindness (VIDEO)

   

Parishioners at a small, "cozy" Russian Orthodox Church in Hawaii say they have a lot to be thankful for.
"We certainly don't deserve it," Father Antole Lyovin says of the church's good fortune.

How to paint an Icon - Icon painting classes

    

The school of Byzantine iconography

Canonization of Two New Saints by the Ecumenical Patriarchate

 

FT: Soul power and market forces

‘Icons were an attempt to reconcile these views: a summation of a religion that was both sublime and worldly’ 

 

 

Sad to say, I have yet to visit the house of a Russian oligarch. But I’m willing to bet that every single one of them has a small corner of wall space, almost lost amid the curvy Matisses and cross-eyed Picassos, that is dedicated to icons of the Orthodox church. Having grown up in a Greek Orthodox household, I am all too familiar with the convention that says every residence must have its small iconostasis to protect its inhabitants from the malign forces of the world. 

Orthodox Miracle Snakes of the Theotokos - VIDEO

The miracle of the Snakes of the Theotokos which appear every year on the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos on the greek island Kephalonia.

Unique icons for everyone

 

 

Incredible by its scale exhibition “Axion Estin. Orthodox Art of the 15th-21st Centuries in Private Collections” is open in Donetsk Exhibition Center “Art-Donbas.” Nearly 300 icons were presented by collectors from Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Donetsk.

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"Montreal Iveron – Myrrhstreaming” Icon of the Mother of God

Montreal Iveron icon was painted on Athos in 1981 by a Greek monk, who copied the original icon of the Mother of God Keeper of the Portal. In 1982, this icon was brought from Mount Athos to Montreal (Canada) by Joseph Muños-Cortez, of Spanish decent, who converted to Orthodoxy.

“On 24 November, at 3:00 AM, I woke up because of a strong fragrance. Initially, I thought that it emanates from the relics, or from a spilt bottle of perfume, but, having approached the icon, I was amazed: it was all covered by fragrant myrrh! I was motionless in place on account of such miracle!” – brother Jose related later on.

Soon the myrrhstreaming icon was taken to the church. Since then, the icon of the Mother of God streamed myrrh continuously, with the exception of Holy Weeks. It is notable, that the myrrh flowed mainly from the hands of the Mother of God and Christ, and also from the star, on the right shoulder of the Most Pure One. At the same time, the back side of the icon was always dry.

The wonderworking icon visited North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, Bulgaria, and Western Europe. Everywhere, throughout its travels it spread love and harmony, as for example in one parish, where all those gathered once again found a way toward prayer and church unity. Its presence intensified the fervor of prayer to such and extent, that Liturgies, served with it in church could be compared to those of Pascha, that are so fervent in the Orthodox Church.

Many counts of people coming back to church, confession, and communion are known. Thus, one woman, having learned of the death of her son, prepared to take her own life, but, touched to the depths of her soul at the sight of the wonderworking icon, she repented of her awful intention and immediately confessed.

The icon streamed myrrh for 15 years. On the night of 31 October, 1997, the keeper of the icon, Joseph Muños-Cortez, was brutally murdered in Athens, Greece, while the Wonderworking Iveron Icon disappeared without a trace

The icon appeared soon after the glorification of the New Martyrs of Russia, the Holy Royal Martyrs, it appeared in the place where the martyrs were first glorified, in the fold of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, in the Russian Diaspora… It also appeared to us on the eve of the changes in the entire realm of Historical Russia.

Evermemorable brother Jose quoted the words of a certain pious maiden in this regard: “Myrrhbearing women came to anoint the Body of Christ before His Resurrection. Like unto them, the Mother of God today anoints the Russian People, foreshadowing the resurrection of Russia.”

In the last years of his life, brother Jose always thought that the Icon, of which he was the keeper, would have to visit Russia soon. At the same time, he repeated several times that the Icon cannot come to Russia secretly, “over the fence”, “through the back door.” It should enter the Fatherland by the main gates, with a solemn celebration, so that the entire orthodox Russia could make a prostration to the ground before the Most Pure One. The meeting of the Keeper of the Portal, Who would have returned to Her Own Home, could have marked the beginning of the church unity.

However, the Lord judged things to be different.

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Our Lady of Filerno and the Malta Knights

Our Lady of Filerno, known as "Filernosa" 

The Knights of Malta are major financiers of MOC and have already tried to seize the relics once. Montenegro's president Milo Djukanovic and the Knights of Malta had a plan to take the relics out of the country in early 2006, but were thwarted by a media campaign organized by the pro-Serb opposition. The relics were the reason Djukanovic had a clandestine meeting with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in late 2005. Bypassing the normal diplomatic protocols, the then Serbian-Montenegrian Union Embassy and the Montenegrin consulate, the audience was arranged by Anton Zbutega of Kotor, a Maltese Knight.

The priceless icon "Our Lady of Filerno", known as "Filernosa" is said to have been painted by Apostle Luke almost two thousand years ago.

History records that it was brought to Malta by the Hospitallers in the 16th century, and that it stayed there till 1789, when it arrived at the Russian court. There the old metal frame was replaced with gold, and the frame was bedecked with precious jewels. Some 270 diamonds were arranged in a double row around the halo, with rubies and brilliants in between.

After the October Revolution, the icon was moved to Denmark, then spent a short time at an Orthodox church in Berlin, and finally came to the Karadjordjevic court in Belgrade. It was moved to Montenegro at the start of World War Two, and has been at the National Museum of Montenegro since 1978

Like "Filermosa" the right hand of St. John has had an interesting historical odyssey, from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Malta, St. Petersburg, and then via Denmark and Berlin to Belgrade.

At the outset of World War Two, King Petar II left Belgrade with the government, carrying the two relics and pieces of the True Cross They were turned over to Patriarch Gavrilo at Ostrog monastery, in the night between April 14-15 1941. Archimandrite Leontije of Ostrog guarded the relics well, and they remained unnoticed until 1952, when Communist authorities found them under the false floor in the Archimandrite's room while searching for the remaining royal gold. The relics were brought to the secret police vault in Podgorica, and kept there till 1978. That year, the Hand of St. John and the pieces of the True Cross were turned over to the Cetinje monastery, while the icon was transferred to the National Museum in Cetinje.
 

Παντάνασσα - Panagia Pantanassa (Most-Holy Queen of All) - miraculous icon

 Great  blessing of our Panagia! She helps us all that we need today!

Παντάνασσα

Τα Μεγαλυνάρια Elder Joseph of Vatopedi wrote to us as a all suppliant rule to the Most Holy Theotokos!

Modern Miracles of St. Marina

The Miraculous Icon of Saint Marina in Andros

The Miracle of Saint Marina for Andreas Vassiliou of Cyprus

In October of 2000, a family from Limasol, Cyprus, named Vassiliou received the following miracle.

In Greece they are well known from the televised requests they made in order to find a donor for their young boy Andreas, who suffered from leukaemia. The donor was indeed found and the parents began preparing for their trip to Houston, Texas in the U.S.A where the bone marrow transplant was going to be performed. Meanwhile, they also prayed and begged Jesus Christ to save their boy.

Before they left for the U.S.A the parents heard of St. Marina’s miracles and they called the monastery of St. Marina located on the island of Andros in Greece to ask for her blessing. The Elder of the monastery, Archimandrite Fr. Cyprianos, promised that he would pray to St. Marina. He also wished the parents for St. Marina to be with Andreas in the operating room, to help him. With Elder Cyprianos’ blessing and with strong faith that St. Marina would help indeed, the Vassiliou family went to the U.S.A.

After the necessary pre-operation tests that Andrea had to undergo, he was taken to the operating room. A short time before the operation was to begin, a woman came to see the surgeon who would be operating on Andreas. She said that she was Andreas’ doctor and asked to be allowed to observe the operation. The conversation that ensued proved that the woman was indeed a doctor. 

However, the surgeon replied that ‘outside’ doctors were not permitted to be present in the operating room and that his medical teams’ policy was that no doctor other than those on the team be involved in such delicate operations. The persistence of the woman however, convinced the surgeon to allow her in the operating room. But before, he asked her to leave her coordinates [presumably, credentials] at the administration desk. The unknown doctor did as told and then entered the operating room with the surgeon. During the operation, she gave several directions regarding the progress of the procedure. The operation went well and in the end the surgeon thanked the woman and exited the operating room.

Andreas’ parents immediately went to inquire about the outcome of the surgery and the surgeon replied that all had gone very well, adding that he could not understand why they had brought Andreas to him when they had such a fine doctor. The parents were surprised and responded that they had not brought any doctor with them. The surgeon insisted, however. He also told them that when he came out of the operating room Andreas’ doctor had remained there for a little longer with the rest of the operating team and therefore, she would probably still be around. 

He recommended that they look for her. The search, however, proved pointless, as the “woman doctor” was nowhere around. The Vassiliou couple then concluded that it must have been a doctor from Greece or Cyprus who had decided to travel to the U.S.A and contribute to the delicate operation. They expressed the wish to know who she was so that they may be able to thank her, and at the surgeon’s recommendation they then went to the administration desk to ask for her coordinates.

It was with utter surprise that they read that the unknown woman had signed with the name “Marina from Andros”. Tears of gratefulness and joy filled their eyes as they recalled that the Elder at the monastery had said to them that he wished Andreas to have St. Marina in the operating room to help him. Andreas’ parents shared with the media their joy both for the successful operation and Andreas’ recovered health and for the miracle they received. The Vassiliou family made the vow that the entire family will be present at the saint’s monastery every year on the saint’s feast day (July 17) and Elder Cyprianos reports that the family has been making the annual trip from Limassol to Andros every summer to thank Saint Marina for saving Andreas.

Miracles performed by the Saints have never ceased to take place in the Orthodox Church. With these miracles, may our Lord Jesus Christ help us build our faith.

12 year old Andreas who was healed of leukaemia by St. Marina 

Greek video of TV news report – telling the story [in Greek]

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How Saints Endured the Pain of Martyrdom and Suffering By Elder Paisios the Athonite

 

Panagia Ierosolymitissa (Gr. Ιεροσολυμίτισσα - Most Holy Lady of Jerusalem)

"The Virgin Mary looks a lot like the one on the icon of the Virgin Mary of Jerusalem. She is exactly the same. I have seen her many times and I don't know of any other icon resembling her so much".

Elder Paisios the Athonite (1924 -- 1994)

How Saints Endured the Pain of Martyrdom and Suffering

By Elder Paisios the Athonite (+1994)

In the past, people were so brave! In the Monastery of the Flavians in Asia Minor, the Turks had captured a man and slaughtered him. Then they told his wife, 'Either you deny Christ, or we will kill your children too.' And she replied, 'My husband is now with Christ, and I entrust my children to Christ and I will not renounce Christ.' What bravery! If Christ is not in us, how can there be such bravery? Today, people without Christ are building their home on rubble...

What love the holy Martyrs had for Christ, what bravery! ... [For example,] St. Gideon the Karakallenos (+1818) -- what amazing forbearance he had! To his executioners he said, 'Take my hand, take my leg, take my nose.' In short, take everything! Incredible! But for a man to reach that point, he must not love himself, he must love God. A mother runs into a fire to save her child. She doesn't feel any pain, because her love is stronger than the burning of the fire. Her love for her child masks the pain. So you can imagine how much more the love for Christ can mask the pain of martyrdom!...

For the Saint approaching martyrdom, the love for Christ is stronger than the pain; it neutralizes it. The Martyrs felt the executioner's sword to be sweeter than the bow of a violin. When the love of Christ really blossoms, then martyrdom becomes a festival; fire refreshes better than a bath, because the burning feeling is dispelled by the burning of divine love. A flaying becomes a caress...

Divine eros takes hold of the heart, takes hold of the mind, and man goes 'mad'. He does not feel the pain of anything else, because his mind is on Christ; and his heart is overflowing with joy. So many Saints went to their martyrdom and felt such joy, one would think they were going to a festival!...

If one does not start sacrificing something now, like giving up some desire or selfishness, how will he ever be able to sacrifice his life at a given time? If, even now, he thinks of the labor, and tries to avoid working a little harder than the next person, how will he ever attain the state of risking his own life to save another's? ... When there is no spirit of sacrifice, everyone looks only to save himself...

These years are like a pressure-cooker that is boiling and whistling. It takes endurance, bravery and manliness. If something should happen, be sure not to leave yourselves completely unprepared. Be prepared from now to face any potential difficulty. What did Christ say? Didn't He say, 'Be ye ready?' (Luke 12:40)...

Living in such difficult times as today, gives us one more reason to be all the more prepared. It is not only sudden death that we may encounter; there are other dangers as well. Therefore, dispel the spirit of ease and comfort for ourselves. Let the spirit of philotimo prevail. May you always have the spirit of sacrifice...

A woman, who had everything, once told me that having children is a dizzy bother. She couldn't be bothered to be a mother! When a mother thinks like that, she becomes useless; for mothers, after all, are suppose to love naturally... When a person has a sense of sacrifice, he does not complain, he is not lazy; he rejoices. That is the key: to have a spirit of sacrifice...

Oh, what joy it brings! Nowadays people don't savor this joy of sacrifice, and this is why they are tormented. They have no ideals in them; they are too bored to live. A generous heart and self-denial are what drives us. Without this force, we are tormented...

The miracle happens when someone can be compassionate and feel the other's pain. It is this very pain that moves God and brings about the miracle. For there is nothing else that moves God as much as a noble and sacrificial spirit. But now, in our time, this kind of nobility is rare, because self-love and self-restraint have entered the picture. Seldom does someone say, 'Let me give my turn, my place, to someone else, and it's alright if I am delayed.'...

The good is good, only when the one who does it sacrifices something from himself -- some sleep, some rest and so on. That is why Christ said [of the widow], 'But she, out of her need, hath cast in all the living that she had.' When I am at ease and do some good, it does not have the same value. But when I am tired and some one asks me, let's say, for directions and I do it, then it has value...

Can you imagine what joy is experienced by the one who sacrifices himself? One cannot even express the joy he feels. Sublime joy emanates from sacrifice. Only when we sacrifice ourselves can we be related to Christ, for Christ is sacrifice. Man can live in Paradise from here and now, or he can live in Hell. Whoever does good is overjoyed, for he is rewarded with divine consolation. Whoever does evil, suffers.

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