The Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God will be transported from the St. Petersburg Metropolis to Moscow and displayed at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior from May 22 to 26, as announced by the Synodal Department for Church Relations with Society and Mass Media of the Moscow Patriarchate. Patriarch Kirill will lead the solemn reception of the Tikhvin Icon.

The Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God is one of the greatest Orthodox relics. According to tradition, the icon was written by the Evangelist Luke during the earthly life of the Mother of God. The icon is currently kept at the Assumption Monastery in Tikhvin, near St. Petersburg. Medieval manuscripts recount that in the late 14th century, the icon appeared seven times to witnesses at various locations, including Lake Ladoga and the Tikhvin River. A wooden church was built at the site of the last appearance to house the icon.

Later, between 1507 and 1515, Grand Duke Vasily III of Moscow ordered the construction of a stone Assumption Cathedral in Tikhvin and transferred the icon there, which has since been known as the Tikhvin Icon. Historical records indicate that in 1547, Ivan the Terrible visited the cathedral before his coronation and the Kazan campaign, and in 1560, he founded the Tikhvin Assumption Monastery by his decree.

The icon left the cathedral in November 1941 during the occupation of Tikhvin. It was taken to Pskov and given to the Pskov Spiritual Mission, then transported to the American occupation zone in Germany, and eventually to the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Chicago, USA. In 2004, the icon was ceremoniously returned to its historical place at the Tikhvin Assumption Monastery. In July 2024, the monastery will celebrate the anniversary of the icon's return to the monastery.

Photo: St. Petersburg Metropolis