October 14 - Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary: what you need to know about the holidaytranslated

With the blessing of Metropolitan John of Belgorod and Stary Oskol, on October 14, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. This is one of the most beloved and revered holidays in Rus', although its history goes back to distant Byzantium. We tell you what happened on that day and why millions of believers are so looking forward to this date. The event that formed the basis of the holiday happened in Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The city was besieged by enemies. Residents understood that the raid could end in a bloody massacre, and were already preparing for the worst. People gathered in churches to pray. In the Blachernae Church, where the robe of the Mother of God was kept, Saint Andrew the Fool, a Slav who was once captured by Byzantine, prayed. At four o'clock in the morning he saw an amazing vision: the Mother of God herself was walking through the air, illuminated by heavenly light, surrounded by angels and saints.

Saint Demetrius of Rostov describes it this way: The Mother of God “took off the great and terrible veil that shone like lightning, which she wore on Her Most Pure Head, and, holding it with great solemnity with Her Most Pure hands, spread it over all the standing people.” The miraculous cover of the Mother of God protected the city.…