Icon of the Mother of God of Yuga

Commemorated on July 28

The Wonderworking Yuga Icon of the Mother of God appeared at the beginning of the seventeenth century to the Elder St. Dorotheus, schemamonk of the Pskov Caves Monastery. During an invasion of the Swedes, the Theotokos commanded him to take the icon to Yaroslav and to start a monastery there.

The abbot of the monastery would not agree to give up the Icon of the Mother of God, but She appeared to him in a vision commanding him to fulfill Her will. Elder Dorotheus came to the place specified in the vision, stopped to rest, and placed the holy icon upon a tree.

When he attempted to resume his journey, some invisible power prevented him from taking the holy icon from the tree. St. Dorotheus realized that the Queen of Heaven wanted to remain in this place.

He then built a small hut and stayed near the icon. News of the Elder’s arrival quickly spread throughout the surrounding villages. Pilgrims came to venerate the holy icon, from which many healings took place. The pious local inhabitants collected money, and construction of a new monastery began.

St. Dorotheus died in 1622. Clergy presented accounts of the miracles to Patriarch Philaret and received his blessing to establish a monastery at the River Yuga with the church being dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. The monastery became known as the Yuga.

In 1654, by the intercession of the Mother of God, a deadly plague was halted in same place.

By permission of the Orthodox Church in America (www.oca.org)