THE MOLCHENSKAYA ICON

Day 359: May 07

The Molchenskaya Icon, Businovo, Russia



The story of this miraculous icon came to us through the testimony of Maria Sporysheva, a parishioner of St Sergius' Church in Businovo who had been living in the area for a long time. In the 17th century, a blind maiden lived in the village of Businovo (near Moscow), in a house on the right bank of the Busynka River. One night the Mother of God appeared to her in a dream and said to her: "Go along the right side of the river, against the current, to the place I point out to you and you will find one of my Icons."

The girl explained the dream to her mother and the next day, they went together along the river. They walked it for about half a kilometer and 100 meters from the shore, they found the exact place indicated by the Virgin. They began to dig and after a while they found a spring. Following the Virgin's instructions, she washed her eyes with water from the spring and was miraculously healed of blindness. The next day, the Mother of God appeared again to the girl and said: "Continue what you started...", emphasizing that the work was not yet finished. So they went again to the place indicated by the Virgin and began to dig again. It was then that the miraculous Molchenskaya Icon of the Mother of God came to light. (Russian: Икона Богородицы Молченская)

In the Icon we see engraved on a golden background the Holy Virgin holding the Child Jesus in her right arm who gently looks towards the apostle St James while he seems to point him to heaven. With her left arm the Blessed Virgin holds a ladder that seems to be the model of a monastery. In the center of the lower margin, the inscription "The Holy Mother Molchenskaya" was probably inserted in 1889. According to tradition, it could be the Icon that is currently kept in the church of St Sergius of Radonez in Businovo.

Soon, a chapel was built on the site where the icon had been found. A shaft was dug and a concrete lining was installed. From all over Russia, the lame, the crippled and the sick came to the chapel and with faith asked the Blessed Virgin for graces. Many miracles took place in that place touched by the Mercy of God thanks to the Blessed Virgin.

The chapel survived until 1936 when, due to Soviet policy, St Sergius' Church was closed and the chapel destroyed. All the candles, icons, and sacred vessels were thrown into the well, which in turn was filled with earth.

In 1950, Maria Sporysheva and a companion managed to dig again on the blessed site to bring to light the well and all its treasures, especially the miraculous spring. Once again, believers were able to go on pilgrimage and obtain healing graces.

Maria took care of the well until 1970, when the village of Businovo was razed to the ground and replaced by a manufacturing complex. However, after the opening of a church in 1991, the Holy Icon was able to find its place again.

On December 1, 1996, after many years, the miraculous icon of the Mother of God Molchenskaya was finally recognized and freely venerated in Russia with her own prayer.

Currently, this Molchanskaya icon of the Virgin is located in the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Businovo.


St Justin Russolillo Writes...

"We gather ourselves around you to pray with you, to participate in your spirit of prayer! Make our religious family a cenacle, O Queen of the Apostles, our mother and patroness; may the Holy Spirit descend on us all and transform us into great apostles of Jesus Christ, into perfect religious of God according to Jesus Christ!"

(Justin Russolillo, Devotional, Vocationist Editions, Pianura, 2009, p. 234)

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