July 24
Mother of God of Rzevsk, Okovtsy, Selizharovsky, Tver, Russia
On Pentecost Sunday, May 26, 1539, a monk named Stephen discovered two holy
objects attached to trees at a crossroads near Rzev in northwest Russia. One one pine was a large
iron cross; on another, an old icon depicting the Holy Mother and Child with St. Nicholas of Myra. Many people witnessed a supernatural light shining around the
trees and experienced healings there. Stephen brought the news to Moscow, where
the head of the Russian Church, Metropolitan Joasaph, decided to build two new
churches, one in honor of the Cross of Rzev and the other for the Holy Mother
and St. Nicholas. In January, 1541, the sacred objects were transferred to
Moscow for the dedication of the new churches. The feast of the Rzevsk Mother of
God commemorates the the icon's return to Rzev on July 11, 1541 (July 24 in the
modern calendar).
Source: "The Rzhevsk or Okovetsk Icon of the Mother of God," Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church, Baltimore, MD, www.holytrinityorthodox.com/calendar/los/July/11-05.htm
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