It is worth mentioning the fact that the icon as the patron saint of the Protato rarely leaves Mount Athos and only on special occasions
Crowds of believers flock to Metropolitan Church of Athenswhere the holy icon of the Virgin Mary has been hosted since yesterday “Axion Esti”.
The holy icon arrived from the Temple of Protato, the capital of Mount Athos, and will remain in the Holy Cathedral of the Annunciation until May 15, 2023.
According to the program, every morning there will be Orthros and Divine Liturgy and every afternoon Holy Prayer. In addition, on Sunday May 7, Wednesday May 10 – the day of Pentecost – and Sunday May 14, a High Priestly Divine Liturgy will be held.
Worth talking about is the fact that the image as an ephesian of Protatos it rarely leaves Mount Athos and only on special occasions. In total, he has come out of Mount Athos seven times for the pilgrimage of the faithful.
- The first exit it was made in 1963 during the celebration of the Millennium of Mount Athos, when it was transferred to Athens, where it was worshiped by a large number of believers.
- The secondin October 1985 in Thessaloniki during “Dimitria”.
- The third, in November 1987, when he made a pilgrimage to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens, in conjunction with the arrival in Athens of the Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios.
- The fourthin October 1994, when the Holy Community accompanied her to Cyprus, to strengthen the religious faith of the faithful and to bless and grace her people who have been suffering for decades.
- The fifth exit took place immediately after the earthquakes in the summer of 1999, “at the initiative and request of Archbishop Christodoulou, for the spiritual consolation of the earthquake victims and their material reinforcement”, since the collected money was determined to be allocated to housing the earthquake victims in a settlement that would bear the name “Axion Esti”.
- The sixth its release was in October 2012. In fact, it was decided by the Holy Community of Mount Athos following a request from the Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, Anthimos, for the events planned by the Metropolis, in the context of the celebration of 100 years since the liberation of Thessaloniki. The icon remained in the church of the patron Saint Demetrius from October 13th to November 1st and was worshiped by more than 100,000 believers, Greeks and foreigners.
- The seventh it took place in 2022, in Komotini, where it remained for 6 days in the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Virgin, to the delight and animation of the critics of Thrace and of all Greeks. The next day, the icon was received by the Ecumenical Patriarch, Mr. Bartholomew.
- The eighth exit of the icon takes place these days from the Perivoli tis Panagia, after the tireless efforts of the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece Hieronymos.
Let’s remember that the original idea was to be hosted at Mid Marchhowever, the sad fact of the fatal accident of Tempe did not allow it.
The holy icon is accompanied by the head of Mount Athos, elder Christophoros Iberitiswith a delegation of monks.
Source: Skai
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