Mother of God of Tvrdoš

Marian Advocation of Trebinje (Herzegovina)

La Mother of God of Tvrdoš (Presveta Bogorodica) is linked al history Orthodox monastery of Tvrdošlocated on the right bank of the Trebišnjica River, a few kilometres from Trebinje, in the region of Herzegovina (Bosnia and Herzegovina). According to historical documentation and archaeological studies, the monastery rises on the remains of an ancient church paleocristiana; the chronology of these foundations is usually placed in the late Antiquity, but the specific dates of origin of the Marian cult under this advocation do not accurately reflect in the sources consulted. The monastery was for centuries sede del obispo de Zahumlje-Herzegovina in the Serbian Orthodox tradition, which explains the regional importance of the image of the Mother of God linked to this place.

Main data

Origin and history

La Mother of God of Tvrdoš (Presveta Bogorodica) is linked al history Orthodox monastery of Tvrdošlocated on the right bank of the Trebišnjica River, a few kilometres from Trebinje, in the region of Herzegovina (Bosnia and Herzegovina). According to historical documentation and archaeological studies, the monastery rises on the remains of an ancient church paleocristiana; the chronology of these foundations is usually placed in the late Antiquity, but the specific dates of origin of the Marian cult under this advocation do not accurately reflect in the sources consulted. The monastery was for centuries sede del obispo de Zahumlje-Herzegovina in the Serbian Orthodox tradition, which explains the regional importance of the image of the Mother of God linked to this place.

En la documented history of the monastery there are destruction and reconstructions, especially during the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian wars and dominations, as well as the permanence of a strong devotion to the Mother of God in the liturgy and in the monastic life. However, the available sources of general character on Tvrdoš focus more on the history of the monastery, its archaeological remains and its episcopal function than on a detailed narrative of the concrete "advocation" of the Mother of God of Tvrdoš as a separate title.

As regards tradition or legendIn the local context, the Virgin is venerated as a protector of the monastery and the region, but in the accessible sources there are no clearly structured accounts (apparition, miraculous finding of the image, concrete prodigious interventions) that can be presented in a reliable and dated manner. Therefore, beyond the continued veneration of the Mother of God in Tvrdoš, no consta In the sources consulted a legendary tradition needs to define an extraordinary origin of this advocation.

The image and the sanctuary

The Mother of God of Tvrdoš is venerated in a context Orthodox iconographicin which the representation of the Virgin Presveta Bogorodica ("Most Holy Mother of God") usually follows the great Byzantine types (Hodigitria, Eleousa, etc.). However, in the open documentation consulted no consta a detailed technical description of the "main image" of the Mother of God of Tvrdoš (size, exact type, dating, material, pictorial or sculptural technique) that allows it to be strictly distinguished from other Marian iconographies of the serbio- orthodox environment. No secure data on a specific miraculous icon with this title has been found that has a well-documented and widely disseminated history.

El sanctuary is his own Monastery of the Sleeping of the Mother of God of Tvrdoš (in the Serbian Orthodox tradition, monastery of the Uspie / Koimesis of the Theotokos), located near Trebinje, in Herzegovina. It is a male monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church, rebuilt and restored in contemporary times, which preserves and shows its paleoChristian foundations and some medieval remains. It does not know that, from a Catholic perspective, it has the title of minor basilicaor officially proclaimed Nacional or diocesan sanctuary Marian in the field of the Catholic Church; its recognition is especially within the structure of the Serbian Orthodox Church and within local tradition.

Sponsorship and coronation

In Orthodox liturgical practice, the Mother of God is venerated in Tvrdoš as of the monastery and the region of Herzegovinabut in the sources consulted no consta a formal proclamation, in Catholic legal terms, which declares it the principal patron of a specific municipality, city or Catholic diocese. His patronage is expressed mainly in the framework of the Orthodox diocese of Zahumlje- Herzegovina, for which Tvrdoš has historically played a relevant role as an episcopal seat.

On a canonical coronation in the Roman way (with pontifical decree, liturgical crowns imposed in the name of the Pope, etc.), does not contain a documented canonical coronation for the Mother of God of Tvrdoš in general Catholic sources or in the available information about the monastery. In the Orthodox tradition, honors to icons (ornamentation, coatings, curling, etc.) follow other procedures and terminology, not equivalent to the Latin "canonical coronation" regulated by the Holy See.

Party and devotion

The monastery of Tvrdoš is dedicated to the Sleep of the Mother of Godwhich in the Byzantine calendar is celebrated August 15 (according to the Julian or Gregorian calendar, according to local use). All indicates that this solemnity of sleep / Assumption is the main party Marian of the monastery, with solemn liturgical celebration and an influx of faithful from the region. Beyond this general sleep party, no consta in the sources consulted a specific holiday date of its own under the title "Mother of God of Tvrdoš" differentiated from the rest of the Marian celebrations.

La devotion It is marked by Orthodox spirituality: veneration of icons, participation in the Divine Liturgy, processions and local pilgrimages, especially in the great Marian parties. The monastery, also known for its reconstruction, its monastic wines and its history, welcomes pilgrims and visitors, both Orthodox and other confessions, but no constan specific figures of inflow or detailed popular traditions (determined miracles, listed exvotes, etc.) specifically associated with the advocation of the Mother of God of Tvrdoš in accessible sources.

Link to the Rosary

As regards specific link with the RosaryIt should be noted that the monastery of Tvrdoš belongs to the Orthodox traditionwhere the Marian prayer characteristic is not the Latin Rosary, but above all the use of komboskini (prayer cord) and the liturgical and paramiturgical prayers (akáthistos, paraklesis, Marian hymns, etc.). In the sources consulted no consta a particular historical or pastoral relationship between the advocation of the Mother of God of Tvrdoš and the prayer of the Rosary, understanding the latter in the typically Catholic form.

From a Catholic Marian perspective, the Rosary It can spiritually accompany the devotion to the Mother of God of Tvrdoš by contemplating the same mysteries of the life of Christ and Mary that the Orthodox tradition celebrates in the Sleeping of the Theotokos and in the great Marian feasts. The Catholic believer can join his prayer from the Rosary in the veneration of the Mother of God in Tvrdoš, asking for the unity of Christians, for peace in the Balkans and for the sanctification of the Churches that are there. The Rosary, as a synthesis of the Gospel, thus becomes a bridge of Spiritual communion with the Marian devotion living in the monastery of Tvrdoš, although it is not officially part of its ordinary practice.