Orthodox believers celebrate the Falkovichi Icon of the Mother of God

August 28, Minsk / Anna Gromyko - BELTA /. Orthodox believers celebrate the Falkovichi Icon of the Mother of God today. This shrine was revealed in the 18th century in a birch grove on the river bank. A church was erected on this site in honor of the Heavenly Intercessor. A revision record from 1785 calls the Falkovichi Icon of the Mother of God ancient and long-famed for its mercies and miracles. The icon is widespread in the churches of the Vitebsk region, but is also found in other Belarusian churches. It became famous for numerous healings during cholera epidemics and protection from invaders. The miraculous Falkovichi Icon predicted the dramatic events of the Patriotic War of 1812, and that the church would suffer from the French in the crucible of war. It became famous in 1831 during an unexpected cholera epidemic. Gathering in the church, people asked the priest to perform a procession around the town of Falkovichi. After the priest, with the Falkovichi Icon of the Mother of God at the head, and the faithful walked around the settlement in a procession, the mortality from the epidemic ceased. The fame of the miraculous icon spread throughout the Vitebsk region and to distant lands. -0-