Icon of the Mother of God of Yuga

The Wonderworking Yuga Icon of the Mother of God appeared at the beginning of the seventeenth century to the Elder Saint Dorotheus, schemamonk of the Pskov Caves monastery. The Mother of God, during an invasion of the Swedes, commanded him to take Her image to a place She specified, and to bring the icon to Yaroslav diocese and to start a monastery there .

The igumen of the monastery would not agree to give up the Icon of the Mother of God, but She appeared to him in a vision commanding him to fulfill Her will and let Elder Dorotheus take Her icon. Elder Dorotheus came to the place specified in the vision, stopped to rest, and put the holy icon upon a tree.

When he wanted to continue the journey, then some invisible power prevented him from taking the holy icon from the tree. Saint Dorotheus realized that the Queen of Heaven wanted to remain in this place. He then built a small hut and stayed near the holy icon. News of the Elder’s arrival quickly spread through the surrounding villages. Pilgrims came to venerate the holy icon, from which many healings took place. Money was collected by the pious local inhabitants, and construction of a new monastery began.

Saint Dorotheus died in the year 1622. Clergy presented accounts of miracles to Patriarch Philaret. They received his blessing to establish a monastery at the River Yuga with church dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. The monastery became known as the Yuga. In 1654, by the intercession of the Mother of God, a deadly pestilence was halted in that place.