MOTHER OF MERCIFUL GOD

Day 197: November 25

Mother of the Merciful God, Kykko, Nicosia, Cyprus

An ancient tradition holds that the Archangel Gabriel gave Mary the Most Holy Sacrament, some wood taken from the Tree of Life. She then gave it to St Luke, who used it to paint three images of the Child Jesus. The Blessed Virgin herself said before this icon: "The grace of Him whom I have carried in me, lives in it."

The icon of the Mother of Merciful God was painted, according to tradition, by the holy evangelist Luke. It received the name "Kykkiotisa" from Mount Kykkos, on the island of Cyprus. Here it was placed in an imperial monastery (so designated because it was built with donations from the Emperor), in a church from which it takes its name.

Before stopping on the island of Cyprus, the miraculous icon of the Mother of God had traveled for a long time by divine will. In fact, St Luke himself sent the icon to the Christians of Egypt (or to Antioch), to the first communities, from here it was then transported to Constantinople in the 1400's where it remained until the entire period of Emperor Alexios Comnenos (from the end of the eleventh to the beginning of the twelfth century).

During these years it was revealed to the hermit Isaiah through the song of a bird, that the miraculous image had been painted by the evangelist Luke and was to be brought back to Cyprus to a place designated for its veneration. Isaiah did everything to fulfill his mission and thus satisfy the divine will.

Exterior of Kykkos Monastery in Cyprus

In Cyprus, according to tradition, the icon arrived at the behest of the Queen of Heaven through the following events:

One day, the Byzantine nobleman Manuel Vutomitis, the emperor's governor in Cyprus, was hunting roe deer in the forests of Troodos. On the mountain path, the nobleman lost in the forest, met a hermit Isaiah who, being busy with prayer, did not greet the illustrious guest and rushed to leave, not wanting to be recognized. Enraged, the noble Manuel ordered his servants to go back to the hermit and beat him severely. Soon the sovereign of the island fell ill with a serious illness: a strange hibernation of the body. Remembering the hermit who had been unjustly punished, he sent his servants to ask the hermit's forgiveness. Isaiah forgave the nobleman and prayed for his health. Manuel recovered and promised the hermit to comply with any of his requests. The old man received a revelation, according to which Manuel must go to Constantinople to the emperor Alexios Comnino and bring to Cyprus the miraculous image of the Madonna, made by the apostle Luke.

Icon of St. Luke painting the Madonna and Jesus

At that time, the emperor had a sick daughter. The affliction was similar to the strange lethargy suffered by Manuel. Seeing in this the Providence of God, Manuel told the emperor about the old hermit. Isaiah was invited to Constantinople and together with Manuel went to the imperial palace. The royal daughter received healing, but the emperor hesitated about the fulfillment of the promise. Then he himself fell into the same disease. Repenting, Emperor Alexios Comnenos ordered an exact copy of the miraculous image to be made. Wanting to try the hermit Isaiah again, the emperor offered the old man two identical icons to choose from: one copy and the other original. The old man prayed and in response a bee landed on the original icon. The bee, which was a sign, is still depicted as a symbol of the Kykkos monastery on icons and their frescoes. He is no longer able to resist God's will, the emperor, overcoming his grief, had to send the icon to Cyprus with Isaiah. But his decree was as follows:

"No one will see the Face of the Mother of God and the Child in Constantinople again. Let no one see in Cyprus – from now on the miraculous image will be covered with a veil."

This decree of the emperor is carried out to this day – no one dares to see the Face of the Most Pure Mother and the God-Child, closed by a veil, even to the Patriarchs and the Archbishop of Cyprus. To the right of the miraculous icon, you can see a cast of a withered hand as a reminder of the person who was trying to desecrate the shrine.

Original veiled icon in gold and silver of Our Lady Kykkiotisa

On the island of Cyprus in the monastery of Kykkos, numerous miracles have taken place and continue to take place from the icon. During the Ottoman rule on the island, a severe drought lasted for some time. The Turk Pasha called the hegumen of the monastery and ordered him to pray in front of the miraculous icon for rain. "If there is no rain," Pasha promised, "I will break the icon on your head." The miracle was granted and it started to rain a lot. As a reward, the Turkish ruler gave the monastery a letter exempting the monastery from taxes forever.

The monastery of Kykkos amazes with its magnificence: majestic architecture, numerous frescoes and mosaics. Under its arches flows a constant flow of tourists and pilgrims. Passing through a cozy courtyard, we enter the main cathedral and slowly move in a line towards the miraculous Kykkiotisa located in the iconostasis. Arriving at the open part of the icon, the troparian and glorification are sung. Then, standing in front of the iconostasis, a little distant from the flow of people, they sing: "To my queen, Prevlagaya". Once the monks, after listening to a rare Slavic song, interpreted by a loud voice of a girl, are moved to tears.

At the monastery there is a large museum of liturgical objects, vestments and icons with a very rich collection of memories. Among the objects on display are many gifts from Russia: precious chalices, sacred vestments, embroidered shrouds.

When the icon of the Mother of God arrived on the island, many miracles took place. Isaiah did his best to build a church dedicated to the Theotokos, which could contain the miraculous icon Kykko.

From ancient times until today, those who are stricken with all sorts of infirmities go to the monastery of the Mother of Merciful God, and receive healing according to their faith. The Orthodox are not the only ones who believe in the miraculous power of the sacred icon, in fact those who belong to other religions also go here to pray.

As a result of her great love for all pilgrims, the icon is also called "the Merciful". The depiction of the Mother of God seems to be of the Hodegetria type (she who leads, showing the direction). The head of the Mother of God is adorned with a crown.

Since 1576 the sacred icon has been completely covered in silver and gold. A brocade veil half hides the icon, to cover the face of the Virgin and that of the Child Jesus. On the cloth, however, the complete image is reproduced. From earlier copies, the Kykkotissa image was circulated in all Orthodox churches, which celebrate the feast on November 12 or 25 of the modern calendar.

The other two icons, which are presumed to have been reproduced with the wood of the tree of life, are now in the Greek monasteries of Panagia Soumela in Kastania, Thessalonica, and Mega Spileo near Kalavryta, Achaia, and their feasts are celebrated in August between the 15th and 27th.

A copy of this icon is particularly venerated by women in the Nikolsk monastery in the city of Mukachev (western Ukraine).

St Justin Russolillo Writes...

"Glory to the Most Holy Trinity in you, O Mary! Glory to you, O Mary, in the Blessed Trinity! Queen of the missions, Queen of vocations, Queen of Christianity, Queen of all nations, Queen of Divine Revelation, Queen of the arts, Queen of the Church Militant, Suffering and Triumphant."

(Ascension, trans. Louis Caputo, Vocationist Father, New Jersey, 1997, p. 408