According to ancient tradition, the wonderworking icon of Tikhvin is one of several painted by St Luke the Evangelist. The icon was taken from Jerusalem to Constantinople in the fifth century, where it was enshrined in the Church of Blachernae, which was built especially for this purpose.
In 1383, seventy years before the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, fishermen on Lake Ladoga in the principality of Novgorod the Great witnessed the icon miraculously hovering over the lake’s waters amidst a radiant light. According to an early sixteenth century Russian manuscript, “The Tale of Miracles of the Icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God,” the Theotokos herself decided that her image should leave Constantinople, perhaps in anticipation of the impending fall of the Byzantine Empire.
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Troparion — Tone 4
Today, like the eternal sun, / Your Icon appears in the sky, O Theotokos. / With rays of mercy it enlightens the world. / This land accepts the heavenly gift from above, / Honoring You as the Mother of God. / We praise Christ our Lord who was born of You. / Pray to Him, O Queen and sovereign virgin / That all Christian cities and lands be guarded in safety, / And that He save those who kneel to His divine, and Your holy image, O unwedded bride.
Kontakion — Tone 8
O people, let us come to the Virgin Queen and Mother, giving thanks to Christ God. / Let us fall before her miraculous image, and let us cry: / O sovereign Mary, your glorious image now inhabits this land. / Save all the Christians of this world, showing us the heavenly life. / To You we faithfully cry: Rejoice, O Virgin, the salvation of the world!
