The Volokolamsk Icon of the Mother of God

Commemorated on March 3

      The Volokolamsk Icon of the Mother of God – is a copy of the Vladimir Icon of the Moscow Uspenie cathedral. The icon was brought from Zvenigorod to the Uspenie monastery of the Monk Joseph of Volotsk on 2 March 1572, during the 2nd week of Great Lent and was solemnly met by hegumen Leonid (1563-1566; 1568-1573) together with all the monastic brethren.
      It is distinguished by its particular depiction on the margins of Sainted Kyprian (right) and Sainted Gerontii (left), metropolitans of Moscow.
      With the name of Metropolitan Kyprian is associated the first arrival of the ancient Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God from Byzantium to Moscow in the year 1395, and under Metropolitan Gerontii in 1480 the Vladimir Icon came finally to Moscow.
      In the year 1588 the Volokolamsk Icon was dedicated atop the gate in the church at the south gates of the Josepho-Volotsky monastery in honour of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the MostHoly Mother of God (Comm. 26 August).
      At the end of the XVII Century, when a church of the same name was built in Moscow at Staraya Basmanna, the atop the gate church of Joseph of Volotsk was re-dedicated in the name of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. The Volokolamsk Icon was transferred to its proper place on the iconostas of the new cathedral Uspensky church of the Josepho-Volotsky monastery.
      In its useage at the Josepho-Volotsky monastery, this icon in 1578 was accounted as wonderworking.