The Koloch Icon of the Mother of God
Commemorated on July 9
The Koloch Icon of
the Mother of God manifest itself in the year 1413 during the reign of
Vasilii I Dimitrievich, 15 versts from the city of Mozhaisk, in the vicinity of
Koloch in the Smolensk governance. A peasant of this village by the name of
Luke found this holy image and took it to his home. One of his household
suffered from a crippling of the body. The sick one with faith put his forehead
to the icon and received complete healing.
This became known of
through the surroundings, and many of the suffering began to throng to the
wonderworking icon for veneration, and they received graced help from the
Mother of God. Luke afterwards took the image to Mozhaisk, and from thence to
Moscow. At the capital, Metropolitan Photii, together with an assemblage of
clergy and a multitude of the people, met the holy icon. During the carrying of
the image through Moscow many of the sick were healed of their infirmities.
Later they returned the icon to Mozhaisk.
At the place of the
appearance of the icon was built a church named for the Mother of God, into
which was put the holy image.
With the offerings of
the peasant Luke and other Orthodox, prince Andrei Dimitrievich built at this
locale a monastery, called the Kolochsk or Mozhaisk.
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.