On August 5, the Dormition Pochaev Lavra hosted celebrations in honor of the miraculous Pochaev Icon of the Mother of God. Thousands of pilgrims arrived for the event, with several groups walking to the monastery to participate in the celebration. One procession from Volhynia took nine days to reach Pochaev.

"Believers walked in a cross procession for nine days to the Lavra, praying for their land, their loved ones, the Orthodox Church, and all Orthodox Christians," reported the Pochaev Monastery's Telegram channel.

The celebrations in Pochaev began on August 3. As per tradition, the miraculous icon of the Mother of God was moved from the Dormition Cathedral to the Transfiguration Cathedral, where the main festive services were held.

On the eve of the holiday, a night vigil with an akathist hymn was performed in the Transfiguration Cathedral before the miraculous icon of the Mother of God. Prayers and akathists continued before the icon late into the night, while numerous believers venerated the holy image. Orthodox youth on the monastery grounds praised the Mother of God with spiritual hymns.

The Divine Liturgy on the day of the feast was led by Metropolitan Sergiy of Ternopil and Kremenets. He was joined by bishops of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the brothers of the Lavra, and visiting clergy from various UOC dioceses. Thousands of believers participated in the celebration. Among the attendees were abbesses of monasteries, parishioners, and pilgrims, including those from the Volyn and Ternopil regions who had participated in the cross procession.

Following the liturgy and a prayer service to the Most Holy Theotokos, the clergy and laity conducted a cross procession, returning the Pochaev miraculous icon to the Dormition Cathedral, where it is usually placed above the Royal Doors. At the conclusion of the celebrations, the abbot of the Lavra, Metropolitan Volodymyr of Pochaev, thanked the hierarchs and clergy for their joint prayers. In his address to the faithful, the hierarch urged them to ceaselessly pray to the Mother of God.

Photo: Pochaev Lavra / Telegram