We are blessed to have a copy of the Pochaev Icon of the Theotokos at our parish. The Pochaev Icon of our Blessed Lady Theotokos has a rich historical heritage stemming back to the Pochaev Lavra in Ukraine.
The miraculous Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God is one of the most renowned relics in the Christian world. It holds a special place of veneration in Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, as well as in Eastern Poland, Slovakia, Bosnia, Serbia, and Bulgaria.
This sacred icon is commemorated on 5 August (23 July Old Style), 24 April (11 April Old Style), 21 September (8 September Old Style), and on the Friday of Holy Week.
For over four centuries, the original Pochaev Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been enshrined at the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra, situated in the western region of modern Ukraine. Pochaev is a small town in the Ternopol region, located 22 kilometers southeast of Kremenets and 67 kilometers north of Ternopol.
History of the Pochaev Icon
One day, an extraordinary event occurred atop Pochaev Mountain. The Most Holy Theotokos Herself appeared to one of the two monks who were leading an ascetic life in the caves. She stood on a rock, enveloped in a pillar of flame, reminiscent of the Old Testament burning bush. Overwhelmed by this divine sight, the hermit called his companion to witness this miraculous event.
A local resident named Ivan Bosoy, who was tending to his sheep nearby, also witnessed this divine apparition. He saw the Most Holy Mother of God in a pillar of fire on a rock, alongside a monk in prayer. The shepherd hurried to the monks and inquired about the vision. They explained that the Mother of God had appeared at this sacred spot, and where Her right foot had touched, a spring of water had miraculously welled up.
This holy spring, stemming from the pure feet of the Holy Mother of God, flowed ceaselessly, never running dry regardless of how much water was drawn from it. In time, the Church of the Assumption was constructed at this hallowed site, giving birth to a thriving monastic community.
The miracle-working Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God made its appearance in Pochaev Monastery during the mid-16th century. This sacred icon was gifted to Anna Hojska, a local landowner, by the Greek Metropolitan Neophytos. Metropolitan Neophytos, who later became the Patriarch of Constantinople, was passing through the Volyn lands at the time.
Anna Tikhonovna Erofeyeva Hojska hailed from the esteemed Russian noble family of Kozinski. Metropolitan Neophytos, during his journey to Moscow to seek material assistance from the Russian sovereign (or on his return journey, according to some sources), paused at Anna's estate near Pochaev. In gratitude for her hospitality, he bestowed upon the devout widow a small image of the Mother of God, also known as "Eleusa" or "Tenderness" (from the Greek "Ελεούσα," meaning merciful or gracious).
For a period, this sacred relic remained within Anna's house chapel. During this time, those who prayed before the icon began to notice an extraordinary radiance emanating from it. In 1597, a miraculous event occurred: Anna's brother, Philip Kozinski, who had been blind (or, according to other sources, lame), was miraculously healed after praying before the icon. Overwhelmed by the sanctity of this image, Anna felt it improper to retain it solely for herself and decided to entrust it to the monks of the Pochaev Monastery.
It's noteworthy that this miracle transpired a year following the Brest Church Union of 1596. This union was an unsuccessful attempt to reconcile the Western and Eastern branches of Christianity, with grave consequences. The Pochaev Monastery's brethren firmly adhered to Orthodoxy and did not accept the Union.
Anna Hojska not only generously supported the monastery but also funded the establishment of a printing house. In her written directives, she commanded that the Pochaev Monastery, with its sacred relics, should remain firmly in the hands of the Orthodox Church.
Miracles of the Pochaev Icon
Following Anna Hojska's passing, her heir was the Polish magnate Andrzej Firlej. Unfortunately, Andrzej was a Lutheran (or, according to other sources, a Calvinist) who harbored strong animosity towards Orthodoxy. In a regrettable incident on June 10 (23), 1623, Firlej attacked the Pochaev Monastery, looted its treasures, and among the stolen relics, took possession of the Pochaev icon of the Mother of God. For approximately two decades, the revered icon remained within Firlej's castle in the town of Kozin.
During this period, a sacrilegious event unfolded when Firlej's wife, in a disturbing mockery of the priesthood, donned a priest's phelonion and conducted a disrespectful imitation of a "service" before the Pochaev Icon. As a consequence of this sacrilege, a malevolent spirit afflicted her, and no skilled healers could alleviate her suffering. It was only when Andrzej humbled himself and, in 1644, returned the Pochaev Icon to its rightful custodians that his wife's sanity was restored.
These events, involving the seizure and subsequent return of the icon, transpired during the leadership of the revered saint, Venerable Job (Zhelezo), also known as Saint Job of Pochaev. Saint Job's name is inseparably linked with a period of great prosperity for the Monastery.
After its return to the holy Pochaev Mountain, the icon once again began to perform miracles. The most famous of them happened in 1675, during the reign of Jan III Sobieski, when Poland was engaged in the Zbarazh War against the Ottoman Empire. In July, Tatar regiments of the Turkish army, led by Khan Nuriddin, besieged the Pochaev Monastery.
The Monastery's brethren and the people of Pochaev, seeking refuge behind the Monastery's walls, prayed fervently to the Mother of God and to Venerable Job, who by then had been recognized as a saint.
At dawn on August 5th (July 23rd, O.S.), as the Tatars prepared to assault the Monastery, the besieged, led by Hegumen Joseph (Dobromirsky), began to sing the Akathist to the Mother of God. As they uttered the first words, the Most Pure Mother of God, surrounded by the incorporeal Heavenly Forces, suddenly appeared above the church. Next to the Holy Theotokos stood Venerable Job, interceding for his people.
In fear, the enemies attempted to shoot at the heavenly apparition, but their arrows turned back, injuring those who had shot them. Terror overcame the Tatars, and in their attempt to flee, they inadvertently harmed each other. Many were captured, and some eventually embraced the Orthodox faith and even joined the monastic life.
This miraculous rescue of the Pochaev Monastery from the Turkish-Tatar siege is celebrated on August 5th (July 23rd, O.S.).