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| − | The '''Intercession of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary''' (In Russian '''Pokrov''', Покров) is a feast of the Orthodox Church. For Russian Orthodox it is one of the most important feasts and perhaps the most important after the Twelve [[Great Feasts]]. The feast day is [[October 1]].
| + | #REDIRECT [[Protection of the Mother of God]] |
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| − | ==Tradition==
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| − | The origin of the [[feast]] of the Pokrov arises from the legend about the miraculous appearance in Constantinople of the [[Theotokos]] during the middle of the tenth century. The appearance occurred in the Blachernae Palace church where several of her [[relic]]s were kept. The relics were her robe, veil, and part of her belt that had been transferred from Palestine during the fifth century.
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| − | In early morning of an [[All-Night Vigil]] on Sunday [[October 1]] with an over flowing crowd of worshippers St [[Andrew Fool for Christ]], with his disciple St Epiphanius, saw the virgin Mary walking in the air above them glowing with a heavenly light and surrounded by [[angels]] and [[saints]]. She knelt and prayed for all Christians in the world, imploring the Lord [[Jesus Christ]] to accept the prayers of all people and to respond to her intercession. After finishing her [[prayer]] of intercession she spread her veil (pokrov) over all the people praying in the church, protecting them from all their enemies.
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| − | ==History==
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| − | The Russian ''Primary Chronicle'' noted that the intercession of the Theotokos was needed for the protection of the people of Constantinople when a large fleet of the pagan Rus, led by Askole and Dir, was threatening Constantinople. The invading fleet was defeated and the event remembered. Strangely, the feast came to be considered a very important feast by the Slavic Orthodox Churches but not by the Greeks.
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| − | A twelfth century Russian chronicle describes the establishment of the intercession as a special feast day honoring the event. Within a few centuries churches began being named in honor of the '''Protection of the Mother of God'''.
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| − | Among these churches two that are world famous are: in Moscow, the '''''Cathedral of Intercession upon a Moat''''' (In Russian: Храм Покрова "на рву," ''Cathedral of the Pokrov upon a moat''), which is popularly known as the [[St. Basil's Cathedral (Moscow)|St. Basil’s Cathedral]] and in Bogolyubovo near Vladimir, the '''''Church of Intercession upon the Nerl River''''' (In Russian: Церковь Покрова на Нерли, ''Tserkov Pokrova na Nerli'').
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| − | [[Image:St Basil Cathedral.jpg|thumb|right|200pxl|Pokrovsky Sobor (St Basil Cathedral) Moscow]]
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| − | The Moscow cathedral was built in the mid 1500s by Tsar Ivan IV and the Bogolyubovo church was built in 1165 by Prince Andrew Bogoliusky. In [[Novgorod]], the Monastery of the Intercession of Our Lady (Zverin Monastery) was also built during the twelfth century.
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| − | ==External links==
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| − | *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Intercession The_Intercession]
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| − | *[http://www.wscsd.org/ejournal/article.php3?id_article=152 Pokrov Celebration of Pokrov in Russia]
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| − | [[Category: Feasts]]
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