Our Lady of the Day (May 7) – THE MOLCHENSKAYA ICON, Businovo, Russia
HISTORY OF THE FINDING
The story of this miraculous icon came to us through the testimony of Maria Sporysheva, a parishioner of the church of San Sergio in Businovo who has been a resident in the area for a long time.
In the 17th century, a blind girl 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 dream, who said to her:
“Go along the right side of the river, against the current, and go to the place I will indicate to you and you will find my Icon.”
The girl explained the dream to her mother and the next day, they went along the river together. 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 indications, she washed her eyes with the spring water and miraculously was cured of blindness. The next day, the Mother of God appeared again to the girl saying:
“Continue what you started …”
Emphasizing them that the work was not finished yet. 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. (In Russian: Икона Богородицы Молченская)
HISTORY OF THE ICON
In the Icon, we see engraved on a golden background the Holy Virgin holding in her right arm the Child Jesus who gently looks towards the apostle Saint James while he seems to show him the sky. With her left arm, the Holy Virgin holds a staircase and what appears to be the model of a monastery. At the center of the lower margin, the inscription “The Holy Mother Molchenskaya” was probably inserted around 1889. According to tradition, it could be the icon that is currently kept in the church of St. Sergio di Radonez in Businovo.
A chapel was erected immediately on the site where the icon had been found. A well was dug and a concrete lining was installed. From all over Russia, lame, crippled and sick people came to the chapel and faithfully asked for the grace of the Holy Virgin. Many miracles occurred in that place touched by the Mercy of God thanks to the merits and intercession of the Holy Virgin.
The chapel survived until 1936 until, due to Soviet policy, the church of San Sergio was closed and the chapel destroyed. All the candles, icons and sacred furnishings 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 place to bring to light the well and all its treasures, especially the miraculous spring. Once again the 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 1 December 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.
PRAYERS TO THE MOTHER OF GOD MOLCHENSKAYA
(The Troparion of the Most Holy Theotokos in front of the icon of his “Molchenskaya”)
Today, the light rejoices in the glorious city of Moscow and in Putivl*
a great feast which, celebrating, Virgin,
your extraordinary icon that gives everything,
to quench the spiritual thirst for honey of grace.
(Short hymn (Kondak) to the Most Holy Theotokos in front of the icon of his “Molchenskoy”)
We appeal, to the people, to Our Lady,
who gave us her Icon of Molchanskaya,
exuding healing currents,
giving all the help in mental and physical diseases
and leading to eternal life.
* Putivl – ancient city of Ukraina where the original and ancient copy of the Molchenskoy icon is located. The monasteries of the icon are located in the diocese of Putivl Kotopsk, in Ukraine (formerly Kursk province).
Currently, this Molchanskaya icon of the Virgin is found in the church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Businovo.
VIDEO DOCUMENTARY (in russian):
Sources
https://stjohndc.org/en/orthodoxy-foundation/theotokos/may
https://es-la.facebook.com/365DayswithMary/posts/the-miraculous-copy-of-the-molchenskaya-icon-was-found-in-the-village-of-busynov/521742008019006/.
http://mariancalendar.org/the-molchenskaya-icon-busynovo-russia/.
https://azbyka.ru/days/ikona-molchenskaja
https://it.volgaproject.net/duhovnoe-razvitie/28953-hram-sergiya-radonezhskogo-v-businovo-krapivnikah-istoriya-sozdaniya.html
