“Support of Humble” Icon of the Mother of God

The Support of the Humble Icon of the Mother of God appeared in 1420 in the city of Pskov at Kamennoye (Stony) Lake. The circumstances of its miraculous appearance are not known, but perhaps the Holy Icon was found by the people of Pskov as a consolation for the great calamities they endured during the reign of Basil II, suffering from pestilence and the invasion of the Lithuanian prince Vytautas, who came to conquer Pskov. In the Pskov Chronicle there are two testimonies concerning the Holy Icon.

One of them says: "In the summer of 6934 (1426) behind old Kolozh, at Kamennoye Lake, there was a sign: blood flowed from the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos on September 16; this miracle occurred because the filthy Prince Vytautas had shed much Christian blood."

In another, more complete reference to the miraculous sign from this Icon, it says: "In the summer of the year, 6934 (1426), there was a sign from the Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos at Kamennoye Lake. At Basil's court blood flowed from the Icon's right eye, and dripped on the place where it stood; the Icon also dripped blood onto a towel as it was being escorted out of Pskov on September 16, the Feast of the Holy Great Martyr Euphēmίa."

Later, the Icon of the Mother of God was transferred to Pskov on September 16, and was placed in the cathedral church of the Life-Giving Trinity. In remembrance of this transfer, a celebration was established for the wonderworking Icon on that day.

In Holy Trinity Cathedral, much revered by the faithful of Pskov, there were many Orthodox shrines, among them the wonderworking Chirsk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (July 16), which has been preserved until our time; the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God (June 26); and many valuable church utensils, princely charters and other historical and cultural monuments. However, in the inventory of the sacristy of Holy Trinity Cathedral, compiled in the XIX century, there is no mention of the ancient Support of the Humble Icon, for in those days Pskov was often subject to devastating fires. It is likely that the ancient wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was destroyed during one of those natural disasters.

Few copies of the wonderworking Icon are known. One of them, from the end of the XVII century, is located in Kiev's Florov - Ascension Convent, and the second is in the main church of the men's Monastery dedicated to the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, at Kiev.

A XIX century copy of this Icon of the Mother of God was donated to the church of the Entry in 1992 by Schema-nun Theodora († 1994), who had it for fifty-five years. The Icon was placed in a special kiot, drawing many of the faithful by its extraordinary beauty. In August of 1993, the faces of the Virgin and her Divine Child were miraculously imprinted on the glass which covered the Icon, but did not come into contact with it. After a comprehensive study, conducted by Kievan scientists, it was discovered that the image on the glass was organic in origin and not man-made. At the same time, they were unable to give a scientific explanation for the miracle which occurred. The glass with its miraculous image was placed in a kiot beside the Support of the Humble Icon.

By an ukaz of the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on November 9/ 22, 1995, the Support of the Humble Icon of the Mother of God in Kiev's Monastery of the Entry, was recognized as miraculous.

There are numerous testimonies of those who turned to the Most Holy Theotokos in prayer and received healing, and the Icon is adorned with several votive offerings.