Prodromitissa Icon of the Mother of God; Martyrs Proclus and Hilarion; Venerable Michael of Maleinus; St. Veronica; Ven. Paisius the Hagiorite; 6th Sunday after Pentecost

Orthodox Calendar, July 12 The Prodromitissa Icon of the Mother of God There are few icons not made by human hands in the whole Orthodox world and this is one of them.

The icon is part of the treasure of the Romanian “Prodromou” (“The Forerunner” – St John the Baptist) Skete on Holy Mount Athos. The Skete is about an hour’s walk from the Lavra of St. Athanasios.

In 1863, during the construction works at Mount Athos’ “Prodromou” Skete, its venerable founders Niphon and Nectarius were looking for an iconographer to paint on wood a very special icon of the Mother of God.

The painter needed to practice fasting and prayer while working on the icon.

They found iconographer Iordache Nicolau from the Romanian city of Iași, an old and faithful man, who started work on the icon in 1863, by respecting the spiritual requests of his commissioners during his work.

He did the painting at the Bucium Monastery in Iași, which was at that time subordinated to the “Prodromou” Skete. He finished painting the clothes and the other parts of the icon, leaving the Holy Faces of the Mother of God and of the Holy Baby Jesus at the end, as the technique of traditional icon painting requires.…