The Upper Pokrov over the Athos

The Holy Mount Athos, who was honored to be the lot of the gospel preaching of the Blessed Virgin Lady of the Virgin, according to Her uncompromising promise, was and certainly will be the object of Her love and craft for all who dedicated herself to the labors of selfless life. Countless experiences have justified and justify Her divine promise. With maternal solicitude looking at the holy Mount Athos, as Her legacy, the Mother of God in some cases is sometimes clearly and sensually appeared and is demanding from Her help; sometimes by the same unusual signs from the divine face, on the holy icons depicted, expressed his inexpressible goodness and his mastery and occupation; and it is more invisible and mysterious She pours out Her gracious gifts on her gospel lot and on those who have been honored in it pass the way of life under the cross of monastic self-sacrifice, and reigns over them as the Queen of heaven and earth. Without going into a detailed review of the historical information about the countless miracles performed here in various ways by the Blessed Virgin by the Theotokos, we now draw the attention of the pious reader to the miraculous Her icons, famous for the extraordinary events on the holy mountain of Athos, and pour out a joy in the heart of every Christian, Christian sinner. But with this account of the miraculous icons of the Lady, we are no less obliged to attach here instructive and comforting tales of such icons, and of other Saints, who take a visible and active part in the mother's care of her lot in the Gospel.

The venerable author of the Letters from the East is so expressed about the holy mountain of Athos: "in the Holy Mountain, the special love of the Mother of God is manifested to His chosen destiny! The history of Athos is like a chronicle of posthumous residence on the land of the Most-Pure Virgin. At every step, in every monastery there is a miraculous icon of Her and some legend of the visible Her representation. In the Lavra She wants to be an economist; in Hylandar, he does not order the Hegumen to be placed, taking its place herself; in the Iberian monastery, humbly becomes a goalkeeper, preferring a small gate church to a great cathedral, and there the divine Goalkeeper, leads many to salvation through her kept gate "(see Part I, p. 124).