October 26 is the feast of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God: what is the famous image?
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- October 26 is the feast of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God: what is the famous image?
On October 26, the Orthodox Church celebrates a holiday in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, one of the most revered miraculous images, whose lists have spread all over the world. In 2025, this day falls on a Sunday. Izvestia tells about the history of the icon's acquisition, what needs believers turn to it for, and where they can pray in front of the holy image in Moscow and other cities.
The history of the holiday and the origin of the image
The origin of the Iveron icon is covered with legends and has several versions. According to church tradition, this image was painted by the Evangelist Luke during the earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos. However, some researchers attribute the appearance of the icon to a later period — the 9th century, linking it with the era of iconoclasm. Common to all versions of the story is that the shrine began its journey to national veneration on Mount Athos, where it miraculously arrived by sea.
According to popular legend, the icon was saved from destruction by a pious widow from the city of Nicaea. When the iconoclasts came to her house and offered to pay off or give them the shrine, she asked the soldiers to wait until morning to collect the required money, and when they left, she carried the icon to the sea and lowered it into the water with a prayer.
And then a miracle happened: the icon did not sink, but stood on its edge and swept through the waves. Several decades later, and according to some estimates, even centuries, the monks of the Iveron Monastery on Mount Athos saw a pillar of fire rising into the sky in the sea. As they got closer, they found an image of the Mother of God standing vertically on the water.
After the prayer service for the bestowal of the shrine, Monk Gabriel, at the behest of the Mother of God, walked across the water and carried the icon to the monastery, after which it received its name — Iverskaya.
The newly found image was placed in the altar of the monastery church, but the next morning it was discovered above the monastery gates. This was repeated several times, until the Blessed Virgin Mary revealed to one of the monks that she did not want to be preserved, but she herself wanted to be the guardian of the monastery. So the icon found its permanent place above the gate, receiving a second name — "Goalkeeper" (Greek. "Portaitissa"). From that moment on, she became the heavenly patroness of Mount Athos.
When is Iveron Icon Day celebrated in 2025
The Orthodox Church has established several days a year to honor the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God. Each date is associated with a key event in the history of her veneration in Russia and in the world. The following memorable days are marked in the calendar:
October 26 (October 13, old style). This holiday was established in memory of the solemn meeting in Moscow in 1648 of the first list (copy), specially written on Mount Athos. The icon was greeted by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Patriarch Joseph and many townspeople.
February 25 (February 12, old style). The date is dedicated to the transfer in 1656 of another Athos list to the Valdai Iveron Bogoroditsky Svyatoozersky Monastery. This monastery was founded by Patriarch Nikon in the likeness of Mount Athos Iveron.
May 6 (April 23, old style). A relatively new holiday associated with the second acquisition of the ancient Moscow list in 2012. After decades of being in the storerooms of the State Historical Museum, the icon was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church and now resides in the Novodevichy Monastery.
Tuesday of Holy Week (rolling date). This is the most ancient holiday, established in honor of the initial finding of the icon by monks on Mount Athos, which occurred the day after Easter. In 2025, this day fell on April 22.
Iconography of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God
The Iveron icon belongs to the widespread iconographic type "Hodegetria" in the Orthodox tradition, which means "Guide book" in Greek. Despite the stylistic similarity with other images, such as Smolenskaya or Tikhvin, the Iveron "Goalkeeper" has a number of unique iconographic features that make it unmistakably recognizable.
The Mother of God is depicted on the icon in a straight line, slightly bowing her head to the Christ Child, who is sitting on her left arm. With her right hand, the Virgin Mary points to her Son, which is a classic gesture of "Hodegetry" that guides believers to Christ as the path, truth, and life. The infant Christ blesses the worshippers with his right hand, and in his left he holds a scroll — a symbol of the Gospel.
The composition of the icon is arranged in such a way that the figure of the Virgin Mary forms a kind of protective space around the Infant, visually illustrating the theological concept of her as the "receptacle of the Irreplaceable God." One of the most recognizable details of the image is the image of a bleeding wound on the face of the Mother of God. According to legend, it was left by the spear of an iconoclast warrior. This mark is present on all canonical lists of the icon, most often on the right cheek or chin.
What do they pray for before the holy image?
The Iveron Icon of the Mother of God is revered by believers as miraculous, and it is traditionally worshipped in front of this image in a variety of life circumstances. They turn to the Most Holy Theotokos in the form of a "Goalkeeper" both in sorrow and in need, and with gratitude for the help and intercession they have received.
History knows of numerous testimonies of healings from diseases and the resolution of difficult situations through prayer in front of this icon. For example, in the 19th century, a music teacher lost his hearing and no longer expected to recover it. One day, passing by the Iveron Chapel in Moscow, he, a Protestant who did not recognize icons, suddenly felt the need to go in and pray in front of the Orthodox shrine. After touching it, he began to hear again.
Most often they pray to the Virgin:
About protection: from enemies, natural disasters, fires, slander and any malicious intent;
about healing: from physical and mental ailments, as well as getting rid of addictions;
about family well-being: the gift of love and mutual understanding between spouses, the return of a husband or wife to the family, the obedience of children and the conception of a child;
about spiritual help: getting rid of sinful thoughts, strengthening faith and preserving the purity of the soul.
It is also a widespread practice to turn to the Iveron image before starting new business or long-distance trips. Believers ask the Mother of God for her blessing and protection in important endeavors and on the way.
Prayer before the Iveron Icon
"O Most Holy Virgin, Mother of the Lord, Queen of Heaven and earth! Listen to the painful sighing of our souls, and look down from Your holy height upon us who worship Your most pure image with faith and love. Behold, we are immersed in sins and overwhelmed with sorrows, looking at Your image, as You are alive with us, we offer our humble supplications. For the Imams have no other help, no other intercession, no consolation, for You, O Mother of all those who grieve and are burdened! Help us, the weak, assuage our sorrow, guide us on the right path, the erring, heal and save the hopeless, grant us to spend the rest of our lives in peace and silence, grant us a Christian end, and at the Last Judgment of Your Son, appear to us, merciful Intercessor, so that we may always sing, magnify and glorify You, as a good The intercessor of the Christian family, with all those who pleased God. Amen to that."
Where is the Iveron Icon of the Virgin
Since its acquisition, the original Iveron Icon has resided in the Iveron Monastery on Mount Athos in Greece. It was from this image that in the 17th century, at the request of Patriarch Nikon, the first accurate lists were made for Russia, which marked the beginning of the national veneration of the "Goalkeeper" in our country.
One of the most famous and revered lists is located in the Iverskaya Chapel at the Resurrection Gate on Red Square. In pre-revolutionary Russia, it was called the religious center of Moscow. Everyone who came to the city, before starting business, went here to worship the shrine. The chapel was restored in the 1990s and once again became the spiritual center of the capital, where hundreds of believers come daily.
The ancient list, returned to the Church in 2012, is now kept in the Assumption Church of the Novodevichy Monastery. Another ancient revered image can be found in the Moscow Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Sokolniki.
Outside of Moscow, the main shrine associated with this image is the Valdai Iversky Monastery, built in the likeness of Mount Athos, where one of the miraculous lists is kept. The venerated copies of the Iveron Icon, preserved by Russian emigration, are also found abroad — in churches in Rome, Paris, Montreal and other cities, continuing to bring comfort and hope to believers around the world.
Earlier, Izvestia told about the icon of the Mother of God "Vododatelnitsa" and what this image is known for.
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