The icon belongs to the type of Eleusa (Tenderness). The heads of mother and son touch, expressing boundless love. The Christ child has a difficult pose. He seems to bounce in his mother's arms, and she tries to hold him. This is the first distinguishing feature of the shrine. The second is an additional veil on the head of the Mother of God.
What is the uniqueness of the shrine
The Cypriot icon of the Mother of God, kept in re, is unique. This is the only shrine completely hidden from the eyes of those who pray. The image is under a precious frame, which follows the contours of the image, and the frame is hidden by a precious veil.
According to legend, the power of the icon is so great that you can go blind looking at it without salary.. This is what happened to Patriarch Gerasim of Alexandria in 1670, who decided to lift the veil. After that, he prayed for a long time to the Mother of God for forgiveness and regained his sight.
Travel History of the Cypriot Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos
The path of the icon to Cyprus is described in the legends about this amazing shrine. The Evangelist Luke himself gave the image to the Egyptian Christians as a consolation. The relic was in the local community until 980. During the invasion of the Saracens, it was sent by ship to Constantinople. But on the way, the ship was attacked by pirates. The shrine was recaptured by Greek sailors and taken to Byzantium, where it was kept in the chambers of the basileus until the 12th century.
The Byzantine governor in Cyprus, Manuel Vutomis, was known as a cruel and heartless person. One day he was hunting in the Troode forests and got lost. Trying to find his way home, he stumbled upon Elder Isaiah. Immersed in prayer, he did not notice the governor and did not show proper respect. Angry, Manuel severely beat the monk, after which he soon found a path home.
After returning, Manuel fell seriously ill with an unknown illness. He immediately remembered the beaten old man and ordered him to be brought in to apologize. At that time, the Mother of God came to Isaiah in a vision and said that her image, kept by the basileus, should be transported to the island. The monk told the governor about this, after which he cured him with the power of prayer.
Manuel went to Byzantium, where Alexy Komnenos ruled. Everyone close to him knew his love for the icon of the merciful Mother of God, so that the governor did not know how to talk about the crossing with the emperor. But at this time, Alexy's daughter fell ill with the same illness as Manuel. Therefore, the governor called Isaiah to Byzantium.
The elder cured the girl and told the emperor about the purpose of his visit. Alexy agreed to give the icon, but was in no hurry to fulfill his promises. He decided to replace the shrine. But in a dream, the Mother of God herself came to him and ordered him to send the image to Cyprus. After that, the emperor equipped a rich ship and, with all honors, transported the image to the island, where it remains to this day.
Miracles of the Kykkos Icon of the Mother of God
Upon arrival on the island, the icon was accompanied by a religious procession to the temple. But not only people welcomed the relic, trees bowed before the image, and shells with pearls rose from the bottom of the sea. Leaning trees still frame the mountains of Tirillia.
- Do not miss:
Once a pagan decided to desecrate a shrine, but his hand immediately dried up. Her cast is kept near the icon of the Kykk Mother of God.
According to legend, in 1720, a mystical swordfish destroyed a ship with pilgrims, and they began to sink. But everyone was saved with the help of the Mother of God. A piece of this fish is also kept in the monastery.
The villagers asked the monks to bring the sacred image to the village in order to avert troubles. The mere presence of the icon stopped epidemics and disasters.
What do they pray to the Kikk Icon of the Mother of God? The image is located in an area with an arid climate, so for a long time residents came to it to ask for rain. The Mother of God helps not only Christians, but also those of other faiths who come to her face in sorrow. They don't call her Merciful for nothing.
What helps the Kikk Icon of the Mother of God is in curing infertility. Many women were able to have children after bowing to the shrine. The sick also get rid of their ailments by praying to the Merciful. So one day a mute person was able to speak, and one lying on his deathbed survived.
There are many legends about this wonderful icon. Poems and songs are written about her help. The flow of pilgrims from all over the world to the icon does not dry out. The Mother of God helps everyone.
