25 November — Commemoration of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Merciful” (Kykkos)
“O Fount of Mercy, Compassionate One, we know You as the Bearer of the Merciful God,
We kiss Your Holy Icon, painted by Luke the Spirit-bearer,
Through which the isle of Cyprus is enriched as with a treasure and cries out:
Rejoice, O Mother of the Kykkos Monastery!”
(Kontakion, Tone 8)
Every nation has its symbols, emblematic elements that embody the essence of its collective wisdom, values, and priorities — the cornerstones of its historical existence. There exists a place on Earth where, atop a mountain ridge 1,450 metres high, the inhabitants have erected a throne. This throne belongs to none other than the Most Holy Theotokos. Since time immemorial, when drought threatened — a common peril in their scorching climate — Cypriots would carry their miraculous icon of the Mother of God to one of the peaks of the Troodos range. There, they would place it upon a wooden throne and beseech Her to send life-giving rain. Thus, an entire mountain became the altar of the Blessed Virgin.
Chapel “Throni Panagias tou Kykkou” in Cyprus
The icon itself, traditionally attributed to the hand of St. Luke the Apostle, resides in the church of Kykkos Monastery. Scaling the summit is no easy feat, yet the monks, bearing their sacred burden, would boldly make the ascent. To ease their journey, a two-kilometre road was constructed in 1959, later adorned with images of Cypriot saints.
“Throne” of the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Kykkos
The founding of the oldest monastery on Cyprus is inextricably linked to this icon, which graced the island in the 12th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Alexios Komnenos (1081-1118). St. Luke painted this image for the Egyptian Christians, for whom it offered solace until 980. When the Saracen invasion brought persecution to the faithful, the icon of the “Merciful Most Holy Theotokos” was spirited away by sea to Constantinople.
Lord Jesus Christ blesses the Orthodox Emperor Alexios Komnenos
Once on the island of Cyprus, one of Emperor Alexios I’s nobles, Manuel Voutomitis, lost his way amidst the forests of Mount Kykkos while attending to state affairs. Exhausted and frustrated, he lashed out at a hermit monk named Isaiah, who was unable to guide him. He struck the elder and stormed off, only to fall gravely ill upon returning to his residence in Lefkosia. Meanwhile, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to Elder Isaiah, revealing that these events were ordained to bring the “Merciful” icon from the shores of the Bosphorus to Cyprus. When a repentant Manuel came to seek the monk’s forgiveness, Isaiah conveyed the Mother of God’s command: to bring Her icon from the imperial palace in Constantinople to Cyprus. Fear gripped Manuel. It was unthinkable for him, a lesser official, to approach the Emperor with such a bold request. Yet, the elder stood firm: “If you desire forgiveness, go and fulfil this; and fear not, for you have the Theotokos herself as your helper; thus it has been revealed to me.” Healed and humbled, the nobleman agreed but implored the elder to accompany him to Constantinople.
St. Isaiah and Manuel Voutomitis at the throne of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, next to his healed daughter. Fresco of Kykkos Monastery. Cyprus
During this time, a grave illness befell the beloved daughter of Emperor Alexios Komnenos. Her ailment resembled the affliction that had once plagued Manuel. Upon learning this, the nobleman approached the emperor with his plea: “Your Majesty! I endured a similar illness on the island of Cyprus and had the Lord not aided me through the prayers of the ascetic Isaiah, I would surely have perished. This elder bade me to proclaim that you must transfer the icon of the Mother of God from your chambers to Cyprus, to his monastery, as revealed to him in a vision. If you fail to do this, your daughter will not recover.”
Having heard these words, the emperor declared: “If such is the will of the Virgin Theotokos, how can I, a mere mortal, defy it?! I beseech You, O Lady: deliver my daughter from this incurable and grievous illness, and I shall release Your honoured icon to Cyprus!”
Swiftly, the princess was healed. Yet, Alexios Komnenos hesitated to fulfil his vow, unwilling to part with such a sacred treasure. Then, a grave illness befell the emperor himself. In his suffering, he recognised the hand of Divine Providence, compelling him to honour his promise. Repentant, he commanded his finest iconographer to create a copy of the icon housed within his palace. This replica he intended to dispatch to the island. But the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him in a dream, and sternly proclaimed: “Leave your icon here, and send Mine immediately to the island, to the monk Isaiah, for such is My will.”
The miraculous icon’s arrival in Cyprus
Then, Emperor Alexios Komnenos outfitted a ship and, with great reverence, sent the icon to Elder Isaiah in Cyprus. The venerable monk enshrined “The Merciful One” in a church built expressly for Her, around which other monks soon settled. Manuel bestowed three nearby villages upon the new monastery, and the emperor confirmed the gift with an official decree, providing funds for the development of the hermitage. From that time forward, the monastery housing the Kykkos icon of “The Merciful One” has been known as the Imperial Monastery.
From that moment, an unending stream of people have bowed before the wondrous grace of “The Merciful One,” seeking Her intercession. The afflicted, through their faith, receive healing and solace. Through prayers before the Kykkos icon, rain has fallen countless times during droughts, barren women have conceived, and the mute have found their voices.
Kykkos Monastery, Cyprus
Over time, “The Merciful One” was adorned with a silver riza. Eventually, the icon was completely concealed beneath a veil, “lest anyone dare to gaze upon Her.” According to Seraphim of Pisidia, the precise reason for this concealment remains a mystery: “...now She is invisible to all so that those who have attempted to unveil the holy icon have suffered severe punishment at the hands of the Most Holy Theotokos... despite these attempts being made by virtuous men and people of God. Such, O man, is the Providence of God and His care for us…”
The veil that shields the sacred image is changed every few years. With utmost reverence, the monks perform this sacred duty standing behind the icon, never daring to gaze upon its holy visage.
The Miraculous Kykkos Icon in the Monastery: The Faces of the Saviour and the Theotokos are Veiled
Several revered copies of the miraculous Kykkos Icon of the Mother of God exist. Among the most ancient is the “Kykkos Mother of God” from the first third of the 12th century, housed within the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai. The Kykkos Monastery itself houses an 18th-century replica in its cathedral iconostasis, placed to the right of the original wonder-working icon.
Russian iconographers, too, were no strangers to the Kykkos Mother of God. Its iconographic style is a variation of the “Leaping of the Child” icon of the Theotokos. During the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the Tsar’s iconographer, Simon Ushakov, painted a copy of the Kykkos Icon for the newly built Church of St. Gregory of Neocaesarea on Polyanka in Moscow for the local row of the iconostasis. The construction spanned the years 1668–70. In those days, there was a trend to recreate Christian relics — icons, crosses, even churches — that had fallen under Turkish rule in the Orthodox East. Intriguingly, in copying the icon, Ushakov created a mirror image of the original.
Copies of the Kykkos Icon of the Mother of God have spread throughout the Orthodox world. Today, prayers ascend to her in Greece, the Middle East, and Russia. Believers venerate and express devotion to the Virgin Mary in myriad tongues, yet united in a single plea: “We magnify You, O most Holy Virgin, and honour Your holy image, through which You heal our infirmities and lift our souls to God.”
Material prepared by the editors of obitel-minsk.ru
Photographs from the Internet
Sources used in preparation:
1. Rejoice About You: Miraculous Icons of the Mother of God / Compiled by N.V. Dimitrieva. — Moscow: Sretensky Monastery
2. Publishing House, 2004.
3. Kykkos Icon of the Mother of God / Metochion of the Holy Michael-Athos Zakuban Hermitage in the village of Beregovoe / Church in 4. Honour of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (cerkov.ru)
5. Thrones of Panagia: Beyond Words and Description… — Sights of Cyprus (cyprusbutterfly.com.cy)
