Feast of Directress Icon of Theotokos celebrated at Neamț Monastery

Monastics and pilgrims gathered Thursday at Neamț Monastery in eastern Romania to celebrate the feast of the Wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God called the Directress.

The festive Divine Liturgy was presided over by His Grace Bishop Calinic of Botosani, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Iasi.

The day’s sermon was delivered by Fr. Justinian Carstoiu, professor at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Bucharest, who referred to the history of the wonderworking icon and its connection with Neamt Monastery.

The same day, the icon was carried in procession around the monastery’s church, invoking the intercessions of the Blessed Virgin for the Romanian people.

The Wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God from Neamț Monastery is the oldest documented icon in Romania and considered the most valuable, from a historical and spiritual point of view.

The icon was donated to the Moldovan Ruler Prince Alexander the Good in the year 1401 by the Byzantine Emperor Manuel Paleologos.

For over 600 years this icon strengthened the Christian Orthodox faith of rulers, monastics and the faithful throughout Romania.

Commissioned by St. Germanos in the year 665 in Lydda, it is a copy of an icon of the Mother of God from the year 35.

The highly-venerated Directress Icon of the Mother of God of Neamt Monastery was glorified by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church in 2018.

Photography courtesy of Doxologia

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