Orthodox Christians gathered in the village of Nosowo in eastern Poland to celebrate the feast of the Lesna Icon of the Mother of God, one of the revered Orthodox shrines associated with the Podlasie region.

The festive Divine Liturgy at the Church of St. Michael the Archangel was presided over by Archbishop Abel of Lublin and Chełm. Archbishop Paisius of Przemyśl and Gorlice and Bishop Barsonofius of Siemiatycze also took part in the service, according to the Polish Orthodox Church.

Pilgrims traveled to the celebrations from Białystok, Bielsk Podlaski, Siemiatycze, Biała Podlaska and other Orthodox parishes across Podlasie. Following the liturgy, the faithful took part in a procession around the church, with prayers offered at the nearby cemetery.

A special part of the celebration was the veneration of a copy of the Lesna Icon. Orthodox Christians in Nosowo have been able to pray before the icon for the past four years. The copy was consecrated at the Lesna Convent in Provence, France, where the original icon is currently preserved.

According to Church tradition, the Lesna Icon was discovered in 1683 by two shepherds on a wild pear tree near the village of Lesna. News of the discovery quickly attracted worshippers, and devotion to the icon eventually spread beyond the local community.

By the late 19th century, a women’s monastery had developed around the shrine in Lesna Podlaska. Its history, however, became intertwined with the upheavals of the First World War and the wider political changes of the early 20th century.

In 1915, as the war reached the region, the nuns were evacuated and took the revered icon with them. The monastic community later moved to France. In 1950, the sisters established a convent in Provemont, where the original Lesna Icon has remained ever since.

Devotion to the shrine has continued in its historic homeland through copies of the icon. One such copy is kept in Nosowo, where annual celebrations bring together clergy and pilgrims from Orthodox communities throughout the region.

This year's festivities concluded with a communal prayer before the icon. Archbishop Abel thanked the clergy and faithful for taking part in the celebration and recognized those who support the Orthodox community in Nosowo.