Protection of the Mother of God
The Protection of the Mother of God is one of the most beloved feast days on the Orthodox calendar, commemorated on October 1. Also known as Virgin Mary's Cerement. In most Slavic languages the word "cerement" has a dual meaning of "veil" and "protection."
The feast day celebrates the appearance of the Mother of God at Blachernae (Vlaherna) in the tenth century. At the end of St. Andrei (Andrew of Constantinople) Yurodivyi's life (d. around 936; feast day: October 2), a group of people saw the Mother of God, St. John the Baptist, and several other saints during a vigil in the Church of Vlaherna (Blachernae), nearby the city gates.
She approached the center of the church, kneeled down and remained in prayer for a long time. Her face was drowned in tears. Then she took her veil (cerement) off and spread it over the people as a sign of protection. During the time, the people in the city were threatened by a barbarian invasion. After the appearance of the Mother of God, the danger was averted and the city was spared from bloodshed and suffering.
It is remarkable that this holiday is celebrated only in the Slavic countries – probably because St. Andrei was a Slav. The first celebration of Holy Mary's cerement in the Russian Orthodox Church dates back from the 12th century. In Constantinople, although no one celebrated this holiday, St. Andrei's vision of God's Mother was often talked about.
Sources and external links
- The Miracle of the Virgin Mary at the Church of Blachernae in Constantinople in 911 A.D.
- News item: Bulgarian Orthodox Church Celebrates Virgin Mary's Cerement Today (1 October 2005)
- The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary (OCA)
- The Most Holy Theotokos of All Protection
- The Church of Panagia of Blachernae
