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Icon of the Mother of God of Lesna

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Commemorated on September 14

The Lesna Icon of the Mother of God was discovered on the branches of a pear tree during the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord in 1683. It was taken to a nearby Orthodox church in the village of Bukovich, not far from the town of Lesna.

When news of the miraculously appearing icon circulated throughout the surrounding area, the Catholic priests decided to use the icon for spreading Catholicism. In 1686, they took the icon away by force from the inhabitants of Bukovich and put it in the Roman Catholic church at Lesna.

In the early 1800s, Catholic monks founded a large church and monastery at Lesna where they placed the wonderworking icon. In 1863, the monks took part in the Polish revolt, and, by decree of the Russian government, the monastery was closed and converted into an Orthodox women’s monastery. Many miracles were worked by the icon.

The celebration of the Lesna Icon of the Mother of God is also commemorated on September 8 and on the Day of the Holy Trinity.

By permission of the Orthodox Church in America (www.oca.org)