The priest who defended Sviatogorsk icon of Mother of God gets an award (VIDEO)

On May 30 vicar of the Sviatogorsk Lavra Metropolitan Arseny awarded Archpriest Sergiy Taran from Berezan deanery of Borispol eparchy. According to the UOJ, the priest was distinguished also for his defense of Sviatogorsk Mother of God against assaults of right radicals during the All-Ukrainian Cross Procession-2016.

The act of Protopriest Sergei Taran was noted during the presentation of the book-album about the All-Ukrainian Cross Procession-2016 at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

Metropolitan Arseniy (Yakovenko) said, "When Sviatogorsk icon of the Mother of God was carried by the All-Ukrainian Cross Procession, they threw stones and eggs at Her and spit in Her direction, and the believers felt as if their mother was being offended."

Archpriest Sergiy covered the icon with his robe. And today he was gifted with the reproduction of the Sviatogorsk icon, as well as with a set of vestments from the brotherhood of the Sviatogorsk Lavra.

The history of painting the miraculous Sviatogorsk icon of the Mother of God in the Assumption Cathedral of the Sviatogorsk Lavra is associated with one Athonite icon-bearing iconographer who visited the Holy Mountains soon after the opening of the monastery in 1844. The Athonite monk decided to decorate the monastery with the art that he knew well, and donated this icon to the monastery. The image of the Mother of God was kept for a long time in the St. John the Baptist Church, in which at that time Monk John was praying, carrying the feat of reclusion in the chalk cliff. Here the icon was miraculously preserved not only from dampness, but also from the fire that happened in the cave temple.

The Most-Holy Lady of the Mother of God is still sending Her all-powerful help to everyone who faithfully flows to Her Most Pure Image. Many patients with various ailments received healing after a zealous prayer before the icon.