July 9
Tikhvin Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, Tikhvin, Leningrad, Russia
On June 26, 1383 (July 9 in the modern calendar), an icon of the God-Bearer was found hovering in a bright light over Lake Ladoga, in the area of Novgorod, Russia, and identified as an icon painted by St. Luke the Evangelist that had recently disappeared from the Blachernae church in Constantinople. The icon is of the Hodegetria (Directress) type: the mother holds the son with her left arm, gesturing toward him with her right hand. Here, she inclines her head somewhat sadly toward him, while he iturns sideways toward her, his right hand raised in blessing and his left holding a scroll. During the Soviet era, when many icons were destroyed or housed in secular museums, Orthodox devotees took the image to Chicago for safekeeping. In 2004, it returned to its home town of Tikhvin in Russia. The Orthodox liturgy for this date reads: "Today, like the eternal sun, Your Icon appears in the sky, O Theotokos. With rays of mercy it enlightens the world."
Photo of Americans bidding the icon farewell from Mary Stavroula Ward, "Reflections on the Liturgy," In Communion, Oct. 14, 2004, www.incommunion.org/articles/issue-34.
Also celebrated this date:
 | Madre della Santa Speranza, optional memorial of the Passionist Order (Mother of Holy Hope) |
| Kolpenskaya Mother of God, Derewno, Slonim, Grodno, Belarus |
| Virgen de la Paz, Gruta de la Paz, Montúfar, Carchi, Ecuador (Virgin of Peace). Celebrated on a near weekend with pilgrimage and mass at grotto. |
| Notre Dame de la Paix, Paris, France, rue de Picpus (Our Lady of Peace). Black standing statue moved to larger chapel, 1657; King Louis XIV cured, 1658; statue crowned, 1906. Feast day of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and daughter shrines around the world. |
| Notre Dame du Mont Carmel, Arnaville, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Grand Est, France. House fire extinguished when scapular thrown on it, 1719. |
| Notre-Dame de Ceignac, Calmont, Aveyron, Midi-Pyrénées, France. Statue crowned, 1876. Fêtes August 15 & 1st week of September. |
| Notre-Dame des Miracles, Utelle, Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. Chapel restored after Revolution, 1806. |
| Madonna delle Vittorie, Maserada Sul Piave, Treviso, Veneto, Italy (Madonna of Victories). Apparition, 1722. Annual fair 2nd weekend. |
| Madonna del Morbo, Poppi, Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy (Madonna of the Epidemic). Festa, procession. |
| Madonna dell'Archetto, Rome, Italy. Fresco's eyes moved, 1796. |
| Madonna della Pietà, Rome, Italy. Painting's eyes moved, 1796. |
| Madonna delle Grazie, Iglesias, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy (Madonna of Graces). Votive festa, mayor lights candle. |
| Matka Boża Jazłowiecka, Szymanów, Teresin, Sochaczew, Mazovia, Poland (Mother of God of Yazlovets). Statue crowned, 1939. |
| Kazan Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of the Seven Lakes, Russia (June 26 Julian) |
| Mare de Déu del Claustre, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain (Cloister Mother of God). Nursing statue crowned, 1911. Feast Sept. 9. |
| Our Lady of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. Roman Catholic feast day in Scotland. |
| Our Lady of the Atonement, Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Atonement, headquartered in Graymoor, New York, USA. |