The Most Holy Lady Theotokos is the greatest intercessor of the human race. Numerous cases of the patronage of the Blessed Virgin are known from history, the memory of which is preserved to this day in various Orthodox celebrations. The Day of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos is one of the great holidays based on the historical fact of helping the Most Holy Virgin to believers.
The Orthodox Church in Russia celebrates the day of the Protection of the Most Holy Lady of the Theotokos in mid-October (14th day according to the new chronology). This day of the Orthodox calendar is highlighted in bold red, indicating a special veneration for this celebration.
The Feast of the Intercession is a historical evidence of the miraculous appearance of the Intercessor of the human race in the Blachernae Church of the capital of Byzantium, Constantinople. This event dates back to the beginning of the 10th century. Meanwhile, when the emperor Leo the Wise was the ruler of the Byzantine Empire. The beginning of the tenth century was marked by attacks on Constantinople by the Saracen invaders. During such a disastrous situation, the Orthodox people with special zeal resorted in their prayers to the Lord and the Mother of God for help and intercession.
The hagiographic source of the "Lives of the Saints" by Metropolitan Demetrius of Rostov, well-known in Russia, says that during the attack on Constantinople, the Saracen people zealously offered up their prayers at the Sunday all-night service (other sources do not indicate a specific day of the appearance of the Mother of God, only data that it happened during All-night vigil). Among those praying in the church was the holy blessed Andrew, who is called the holy fool in the month. It was he who saw the Most Holy Virgin walking through the air, accompanied by the beloved disciple of the Savior John the Theologian, the great prophet and Forerunner of the Lord John, saints and angelic armies. The disciple of the holy fool Andrew Epiphanius was also honored with such a wondrous vision.
The Most Holy Theotokos prayed for the people of Constantinople, after which she removed the veil from her head, called the omophorion in the Christian tradition, and spread it over those present in the church. The meaning of this phenomenon indicated the visible and tangible help and intercession of the Virgin Mary. And the holiday itself, established in honor of the appearance of the Mother of God in the Blakherna Church, received its name - the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos.
After the miraculous apparition of the Mother of God, the conquerors retreated from the royal city of Constantinople. Many residents escaped, and the Orthodox shrines were not trampled by the invaders.
In honor of the events in the Blachernae church, it was decided to establish a special holiday, which in the 12th century was transferred to the Orthodox calendar and to Russia. Particular reverence for this day was expressed by Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky, who initiated the construction of the first Church of the Intercession (the famous Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, erected in 1164). In the following centuries, they began to erect Pokrovsky monasteries and build numerous temples. In modern times, almost every diocese has a church, the main altar of which is consecrated in honor of the miraculous event of the appearance of the Mother of God in the Blachernae Church of Constantinople.
Orthodox believers to this day strive to attend the festive evening service on the eve of the Intercession, and on the very day of the holiday to pray at the liturgy, to ask the Blessed Virgin for intercession and help in all everyday needs and troubles.
