Commemorated on March 27
Like the Panagia Portaitissa, the Glykophilousa Icon is one of those
which were saved during the iconoclastic period and brought miraculously
to Mount Athos. It originally belonged to Victoria, the devout wife of
the senator Symeon. Victoria was one who venerated the holy icons,
especially that of the Most Holy Theotokos, before which she prayed each
day. Her husband was an iconoclast who found her piety offensive, for
he, like Emperor Theophilos (r. 829-842), found the veneration of icons
distasteful. Symeon told his wife to give him her icon so that he could
burn it. In order to save the icon from being destroyed, she threw it
into the sea, and it floated away standing upright on the waves. After a
few years, the icon appeared on the shores of Mount Athos near the
Monastery of Philotheou, where it was received with great honor and
rejoicing by the Abbot and Fathers of the Monastery, who had been
informed of its impending arrival through a revelation of the Theotokos.
A
spring of holy water sprouted forth on the very spot where they placed
the icon on the shore. Every year on Monday of Bright Week there is a
procession and blessing of water. Numerous miracles have occurred.
Although
there are many miracles of the Glykophilousa Icon, we will mention only
a few. In 1713, the Mother of God answered the prayers of the devout
Ecclesiarch Ioannikios, who complained about the poverty of the
monastery. She assured him that she would provide for the material needs
of the monastery.
Another miracle took place in 1801. A pilgrim,
after seeing the precious offerings (tagmata) hanging from the icon, a
certain pilgrim planned to steal them. He stayed in the Temple after
the Ecclesiarch closed it. Then he stole the offerings and left for the
port of Iveron Monastery. There he found a boat that was leaving for
Ierissos. After a while the ship sailed, but despite the excellent
weather, it remained stationary in the sea. When the Ecclesiarch saw
what had happened, the abbot sent monks out in various directions. Two
went to the port of Iveron and when they saw the immobile ship, they
realized what happened. Getting into a boat they went to the ship came
aboard. The guilty man who committed this fearful sacrilege asked for
forgiveness. The monks were magnanimous and did not want the thief to be
punished.
A pilgrim from Adrianopolis visited Philotheou
Monastery in 1830. He listened attentively to a monk tell the story of
the holy Icon and the miracles associated with it, but he regarded the
account as a fictitious tale which only a child might believe. The monk
was grieved at the man’s unbelief, and tried to persuade him that
everything he had said was absolutely true. The unfortunate pilgrim
remained unconvinced.
That very day, as the pilgrim was walking on
an upper balcony, he slipped and began to fall. He cried out, “Most
Holy Theotokos, help me!” The Mother of God heard him and came to his
assistance. The pilgrim landed on the ground completely unharmed.
The
Glykophilousa Icon belongs to the Eleousa (the Virgin of Tenderness)
category of icons, where the Mother accepts the affection shown by the
Child Christ. The icon is commemorated by the Church on March 27 and
also on Bright Monday. The icon depicts the Theotokos inclining toward
Christ, Who embraces her. She seems to be embracing Him more tightly
than in other icons, and her expression is more affectionate.
The Icon is located on a pillar on the left side of the katholikon (main church).
Source-Oca.Org
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