THE IVERON ICON OF
PANAGIA PORTAITISSA -
(OUR LADY THE GATE KEEPER)
February 12th
Παναγίας
Πορταΐτισσας
The Holy Icon of Panagia Portaitissa was kept in
the home of a certain pious widow, who lived near Nicea. During the time of the
emperor Theophilos,
The Iconoclasts came to the house of this
Christian, and one of the soldiers struck the image of the Mother of God with a
spear. Blood flowed from the place where it was struck.
The widow, fearing its destruction, promised the
imperial soldiers money and implored them not to touch the icon until morning.
When the soldiers departed, the woman and her son (later an Athonite monk), sent
the holy icon away upon the sea to preserve it. The icon, standing upright upon
the water, floated to Athos.
For several days, the Athonite monks had seen a
fiery pillar on the sea rising up to the heavens. They came down to the shore
and found the holy image, standing upon the waters. After a Molieben of
thanksgiving, a pious monk of the Iveron monastery, St. Gabriel, had a dream in
which the Mother of God appeared to him and gave him instructions. So he walked
across the water, and taking up the holy icon, he placed it in the church.
On the following day, however, the icon was found not
within the church, but on the gates of the monastery. This was repeated several
times, until the Most Holy Theotokos revealed to St. Gabriel Her will, saying
that She did not want the icon to be guarded by the monks, but rather She
intended to be their Protectress. After this, the icon was installed on the
monastery gates. Therefore this icon came to be called "Portaitissa" or
"Gate-Keeper".
Source:
OCA
