Icon of the Virgin of Pidhirtsi

Marian devotion

Where is he?

The icon of the Virgin of Pidhirtsi is linked to Pidhirtsi, in the district of Zolochiv, oblast of Leópolis, Ukraine, and to the monastic church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The coordinate used comes from the location identified in OpenStreetMap. It does not appear as the exact point of the monastery or as the location of each episode of the icon history.

Documented history

The Order of San Basilio Magno places the first written reference to the icon in the chronicle of the monastery of 1699. This chronicle recalls several months of extraordinary events before the image in 1692: tears attributed to the icon, candles that were lit without human intervention and healing requested by sick people. The source retains the testimony as part of the devotional history; this fact sheet does not make it an independent medical or expert file.

On April 14, 1694, Bishop José Shumliansky of Lopolis proclaimed the icon miraculous by a letter, according to the Basilian inventory. Three days later he was solemnly transferred from the parish church of Holubytsia to the monastery of Pidhirtsi, first to the ancient church and later to the new church of the Annunciation. In 1715, golden silver coatings were made as an expression of gratitude for the graces attributed to the image.

The source of the Order further indicates that, thirty-nine years later, the icon was crowned by Pope Benedict XIV. A pontifical coronation expresses the liturgical and devotional relevance of an image; it should not be confused by itself with the approval of a Marian apparition. The fact sheet retains the two planes: the documented ecclesial act and the stories of wonders surrounding the tradition of the sanctuary.

After the closure of the monastery by the Soviet authorities, the icon and the devotees were guarded by the faithful of Pidhirtsi and Plishesk. With the restoration of the monastery, the image returned on 7 April 1991 to the church of the Annunciation. The Basilian source adds that it was restored in the late 1990s. The return explains the continuity of veneration after religious persecution.

Tradition

The tradition of Pidhirtsi was formed around prayer before the image, the devotees and the memory of those who claimed to have received help. The Christian veneration of an icon does not love wood or painting: it recognizes the mystery to which the image refers and asks Mary to intercede before Christ.

Legend

The episodes of tears, lit candles and cures belong to the historical-devotional account published by the Basilian Order. Although the source refers to an episcopal proclamation of the icon as miraculous, it does not provide a decree on an apparition on this page. This is why episodes are not presented as an approved Marian apparition, nor are statements not in the source added.

Ecclesial State

It consists of an Eastern Catholic veneration linked to a Basilian monastery, an episcopal proclamation of the icon as miraculous according to the institutional source and a coronation attributed to Pope Benedict XIV. These data demonstrate an ecclesial history of public veneration. A pronunciation of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on an apparition in Pidhirtsi does not appear in the consulted source, so that the document does not present it as approved.

Anecdotes and stories

The custody of the icon by the faithful of Pidhirtsi and Plishesk during the closing of the monastery is one of the most significant episodes of their recent history. The return of the image in 1991 and its subsequent restoration show the recovery of a tradition that was not limited to the monastic building. The exvotes also retain the concrete memory of the requests and thanksgiving of generations of pilgrims.

Prayer

Holy Mary, Mother of the Church, accompanies those who pray before your image in Pidhirtsi. He intercede for the sick, for the families who guard the faith in difficult times and for those who seek comfort without losing the truth. Lead us to Jesus Christ, the source of all hope. Amen.

Sources

• Orden de San Basilio Magno: Miraculous Icons, Pidhirtsi Icon of the Mother of God.
• OpenStreetMap, Pidhirtsi village.