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The Protection of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, known in Church Slavonic as Pokrov (Покровъ, "protection"), and in Greek as Skepê (Σκέπη), is a feast of the Mother of God celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches which determines when Advent (from the Latin word la ''adventus'' meaning "coming" is a season of the Christian church, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the Christmastide (also Christmas or the Christmas season) is one of the seasons of the Liturgical year of most Christian churches Epiphany ( Greek for "to manifest" or "to show" is a Christian Feast day which celebrates the "shining forth" or revelation of Lent, in some Christian denominations, is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. Easter Triduum, Holy Triduum, or Paschal Triduum is a term used by some Christian churches particularly the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastertide, or the Easter Season, or Paschal Time, is the period of fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday The general and most common understanding of the Christian Doctrine of Ascension holds that Jesus bodily ascended to Heaven in the presence Pentecost (πεντηκοστή, pentekostē, "the fiftieth day" is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian Liturgical year, celebrated the Ordinary Time is a season of the Christian (especially the Catholic) Liturgical calendar In the Christian Liturgical calendar, there are several different feasts known as Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the The Nativity Fast, is a period abstinence and penance practiced by the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches, in preparation For depictions in painting and sculpture see Nativity of Jesus in art. Epiphany ( Greek for "to manifest" or "to show" is a Christian Feast day which celebrates the "shining forth" or revelation of Great Lent, or the Great Fast, is the most important Fasting season in the Church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Pentecost (πεντηκοστή, pentekostē, "the fiftieth day" is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian Liturgical year, celebrated the The feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Pascha (Easter is the greatest of the feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported by the Synoptic Gospels in which Jesus is transfigured upon a mountain (,) The Dormition of the Theotokos ( Greek: Koimesis) is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Church Slavonic (also Church Slavic, Old Bulgarian) is the Liturgical language of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Macedonian Orthodox Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Theotokos (Θεοτόκος translit Theotókos) is a title of Mary the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world This article refers to Eastern Churches in full communion with the Holy See The feast celebrates the protection afforded the faithful through the intercessions of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary). Distinguish from "inter-session" ie "between Sessions " Intercession, in both Christianity and Islam, Theotokos (Θεοτόκος translit Theotókos) is a title of Mary the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, It is one of the most important feasts of the Russian Orthodox liturgical year. See also Eastern Orthodox Church Structure and organization The Slavic Orthodox Church is organized in a hierarchical structure The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches which determines when In Russia it is celebrated as the most important solemnity after the Twelve Great Feasts. The feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Pascha (Easter is the greatest of the feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The feast is commemorated in Eastern Orthodoxy as a whole, but by no means as fervently as it is in Russia and Ukraine. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe.
The Russian word Pokrov, like the Greek Skepê has a complex meaning. First of all, it refers to a cloak or shroud, but it also means protection or intercession. For this reason, the name of the feast is variously translated as the Veil of Our Lady, the Protecting Veil of the Theotokos, the Protection of the Theotokos, or the Intercession of the Theotokos.
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Tradition
According to Eastern Orthodox Sacred Tradition, the apparition of Mary the Theotokos occurred during the 10th century at the Blachernae Palace church in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) where several of her relics (her robe, veil, and part of her belt) were kept. Sacred Tradition or Holy Tradition is a technical theological term used in some Christian traditions primarily in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Theotokos (Θεοτόκος translit Theotókos) is a title of Mary the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, Blachernae (Βλαχερναί was a suburb in the northwestern section of Constantinople. Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see the other Names of Istanbul) is the largest city of Turkey A relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance carefully preserved with an air of Veneration as a tangible memorial On Sunday, October 1 at four in the morning, St. Andrew the Blessed Fool-for-Christ, who was a Slav by birth, saw the dome of the church open and the Virgin Mary enter, moving in the air above him, glowing and surrounded by angels and saints. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Foolishness for Christ refers to behavior motivated by real or assumed craziness to serve a religious purpose of Christianity An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity She knelt and prayed with tears for all faithful Christians in the world. The Virgin Mary asked her son, Jesus Christ, to accept the prayers of all the people entreating him and looking for her protection. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Once her prayer was completed, she walked to the altar and continued to pray. Afterwards, she spread her veil over all the people in the church as a protection.
St Andrew turned to his disciple, St. Epiphanius, who was standing near him, and asked, "Do you see, brother, the Holy Theotokos, praying for all the world?" Epiphanius answered, "Yes, Holy Father, I see it and am amazed!"
An icon of the Virgin Mary praying, surrounded by people, was said to be kept in the Blachernae church. An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity. It is said to reproduce the events as St Andrew saw them that day.
Feast and Icon
The feast day comemorating the miracle is held annually on October 1 (October 14 on the Gregorian calendar). The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used Calendar in the world today It is served as an All-Night Vigil, with many of the same elements as occur on Great Feasts of the Theotokos. For the musical setting by Rachmaninoff, see All-Night Vigil (Rachmaninoff The All-night vigil is a service of the Eastern Orthodox However, Pokrov has no Afterfeast. An Afterfeast is a period of celebration attached to one of the Great Feasts celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches (roughly equivalent to
In the fourteenth century, a Russian pilgrim and cleric by the name of Alexander saw in the church an icon of the Theotokos praying for the world, and depicting St Andrew standing in contemplation of her. According to the Primary Chronicle of St. Nestor the Chronicler, the inhabitants of Constantinople called upon the intercession of the Mother of God to protect them from an attack by a large Russian fleet (Russia was still pagan at the time). The Primary Chronicle (ѣѣтъ Пóвесть временны́х лет Povest' vremennykh let; Пóвість врéм'яних літ Povist' vremjanykh Saint Nestor the Chronicler (c 1056 - c 1114 Kyiv) was the reputed author of the Primary Chronicle, (the earliest East Slavic Chronicle Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world According to Nestor, the feast celebrates the destruction of this fleet sometime in the ninth century.
The icon of the feast depicts in its upper part the Virgin Mary surrounded by a luminous aureole. An aureola or aureole (diminutive of Latin aurea, "golden" is the radiance of luminous cloud which in Paintings of sacred personages She holds in her outstreched arms an orarion or veil, which symbolizes the protection of her intercession. The Orarion (Greek; Slavonic Орарь orar' is the distinguishing vestment of the Deacon in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches To either side of her stand numerous saints and angels, many of whom are recognizable to the experienced church-goer: the apostles, John the Baptist, St. Nicholas of Myra, etc. The Twelve Apostles (Greek apostolos, "someone sent out" e Saint John the Baptist ( heb. Jochanan ben Sacharja, arab. يحيى Yaḥyā or يوحنا Yūḥanna, aram. Saint Nicholas (Άγιος Νικόλαος, Agios Nikolaos, "victory of the people" is the common name for Nicholas of Myra, a Christian Saint Below, St. Andrew the Fool for Christ is depicted, pointing up at the Virgin Mary and turning to his disciple Epiphanius.
October 1 is also the feast of St. Romanus the Melodist, so he is often depicted on the same icon, even though he and St. "Romanos" redirects here See Romanus for the Latin form of the same name or Romanos Spain for the municipality in Spain Andrew lived at different times. He is often shown directly below the Virgin Mary, standing on a bema, or on a kathedra, chanting from a scroll. For the Christian eschatological concept see Bema Seat; for other uses see Bema (disambiguation The Bema (from the Greek A cathedra ( Latin, "chair" from Greek, kathedra, "seat" is the Chair or Throne of a Bishop The scroll represents the various kontakia which have been attributed to him. Kontakion (κοντάκιον is a form of Hymn performed in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
The feast day of St. Andrew, the Fool-for-Christ, falls on the following day, October 2 (in accordance with the Orthodox liturgical tradition of the Synaxis). Andrew of Constantinople ( Andrew the Fool or Andrew Fool-for-Christ-sake, greek Andreas ho Salos) (died in 936 A For the Moth Genus, see Synaxis (moth. (at this point April 2008 this redirects to a nonexistant article
Churches dedicated to Pokrov
The first churches dedicated to feast of Pokrov appeared in Russia in the 12th century. Two of these churches are known all around the world: the Moscow Cathedral of Intercession Upon the Moat (Russian: Храм Покрова "на рву," Cathedral of Pokrov upon moat), popularly known as the Saint Basil's Cathedral, and the Church of Intercession upon Nerl River (Russian: Церковь Покрова на Нерли, Tserkov Pokrova na Nerli) in Bogolyubovo near Vladimir. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages The Cathedral of Intercession of the Virgin on the Moat (Собор Покрова что на Рву - The Cathedral of the Protection of the Mother of God, or simply The Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin on the Nerl River (Церковь Покрова на Нерли Tserkov Pokrova na Nerli) is an Orthodox church Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Bogolyubovo (Боголю́бово is an Urban-type settlement in Suzdalsky District, Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located some north-east Vladimir (Влади́мир) is a city in Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway
See also
References
- Покров Пресвятой Богородицы (in Russian) The article was used for iconography description. Intercession of the saints is a Christian doctrine common to the vast majority of the world's Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Latin Rite
External links
- Celebration of Pokrov in Russia
- Icons of the Intercession
- The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary Icon and Synaxarion of the feast
- The Feast of the Holy Skepi of the Theotokos from the Website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
- Saint Andrew, Fool-for-Christ
- (Russian) Pokrovsko-Vasil'evsky monastyr (Protection-Basil monastery)
- Pokrov Foundation, a Bulgarian Orthodox Christian organization