Kursk Root Icon to visit St. Tikhon’s Monastery for patronal feast day August 12-13
With the blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, the 700-plus year old Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God will visit Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk Monastery here on the evening of August 12 until after the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on August 13, the monastery’s patronal feastday.
His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah and His Grace, Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania will be present and concelebrate the Divine Liturgy.
The Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God was discovered on September 8, 1259, by a hunter outside the town of Kursk, Russia. He found the icon lying face down by the root of a tree. Lifting it up, he discovered that the icon was similar to the Novgorod “Znamenie” Icon. Simultaneously, as the hunter lifted up the holy icon from the earth, a spring of pure water gushed forth. Deciding not to leave the icon in the forest, the hunter placed it in a small, ancient chapel.
The icon was transferred to the city of Ryl’a and placed in a new church erected in honor of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. But the icon soon disappeared and returned to the place in which it first appeared. The people of Ryl’a made several attempts to return the icon to their city, but it repeatedly returned to its former place. Everyone then realized that the Theotokos preferred the place of the icon’s appearance.
The special help granted by the Mother of God through this icon is associated with many important events in Russian history. Several copies of the icon were made, which also were glorified.
Abbot Sergius and the monastic brotherhood invite the faithful to join them, to worship with them at the Vigil and Liturgy, and to be inspired and blessed by the truly miraculous presence of the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God.