The old Slavonic inscription on the Koretskaya icon of the Mother of God known as "The Surety of Sinners" says “I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me.”
The Mother of God embraces Her Child, Who holds Her right hand with both His hands. This image symbolically shows that the Lord entrusts to His Mother the sinful human race, making Her the Intercessor for us before God, praying for all those who seek Her in their faith and hope.
This miraculous image has a rich history replete with testimonies of grace-filled help.
"The Surety of Sinners" miraculous icon is the main relic of the Holy Trinity Koretsky stavropegial women's monastery in Volyn. This ancient women's community located in the Ukrainian city of Korets, Rovno region, is about a thousand years old. Its chronicle is a story of what seemed to be a complete destruction and was followed by a glorious rebirth.
Koretsky Holy Trinity Stauropegial Monastery, Rovno region, Ukraine
The Monastery was founded in 1064 by the Monk Varlaam, hegumen of the Kiev Caves, who consecrated it in honour of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Monastery of the Annunciation peacefully offered its prayers to God for almost two hundred years, until the hordes of Batu Khan razed it to the ground in 1242. However, the life of the community did not cease. The churches and cells were raised from the ruins. The Monastery was consecrated again, this time in honour of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. It became not only a prayer stronghold, but also a thoroughly fortified citadel.
In the XIV century, the city of Korets became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
At the end of the fifteenth century, the Monastery was again ruined, this time by the Crimean Khan Mengli Giray.
It was 75 years later that Prince Euthymios Bogush of Korets decided to rebuild it. His noble work was continued by his son Joachim Bogushevich. Once again, the Monastery rose from the ashes, and was consecrated in 1580 in honour of the Resurrection of Christ. Prince Joachim's daughter Sophia (monastic name Seraphima) became the first abbess of the monastery*.
Prince Euthymios Bogush
After the Union of Lublin in 1569, Korets land became part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Of the fifty-seven Orthodox monasteries flourishing in Volyn before the conclusion of the Brest Union in 1596, only ten remained, of which Koretsky was the only women's monastery. This situation persisted for twenty years.
During the years of the Union, the Monastery was in danger every day, leading anti-Uniate missionary work and providing a refuge for nuns from other Orthodox monasteries who had been persecuted.
At that time, the miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Surety of Sinners" was the family relic of the Korets princes. The family received help from the Mother of God on many occasions and carefully kept the icon in the chapel of their manor, considering it a source of heavenly grace.
Unfortunately, many of the Korets princes yielded to the temptation of embracing Catholicism. When the last of the family's Orthodox died, the brother of Abbess Serafima, a Catholic, suggested that she take the icon back to her monastery. At that time, he also handed over to the Monastery another miraculous family relic of the Koretsky princes, namely the shroud of the Mother of God, painted on cypress wood.
The icon depicts Abbess Seraphima of the Koretsky Monastery (born Princess Sofia Koretskaya)*
A procession with the two relics arrived at the Monastery on Thursday of the first week after Pentecost 1622. At first the icon was available for veneration by the worshipers in the centre of the church. Eventually, the day came when it was solemnly transferred to the synthronon in the altar, and a celebration was established in honour of the icon of the Mother of God "Surety of Sinners" Koretskaya.
From 1752 to 1795 the monastery was under the jurisdiction of the Uniates who also revered the Koretsky icon as miraculous.
In 1793, following the Second Partition of Poland, the city of Korets, together with the Korets monastery, became part of the Russian Empire.
In 1795, Empress Catherine II issued a decree, according to which part of the Monastery was returned to the Orthodox nuns. The “Surety of Sinners” image returned to the Monastery. It survived the fire of August 1797 destroying several monastic buildings.
Once again, the Koretsky community was reborn. The miraculous image was now on the synthronon of the new Dormition Church, which had been rebuilt from the refectory, half-burnt during the fire. A silver-gilded plating with enamel inlay was then made to protect and adorn the Koretsky icon of the Mother of God.
The peak of the Monastery's prosperity came in the late nineteenth century when it was renamed the Koretsky Holy Trinity Stavropegial Women's Monastery. On September 21, 1880, the new Holy Trinity Cathedral and monastic cells were consecrated. The miraculous icon was placed in a carved wooden case near the left front column of the Cathedral. The Holy Resurrection Monastery was transformed into a skete.
The revived community withstood the revolutionary events of 1917 and the period of Soviet atheism. Undertaking numerous attempts to close the Monastery, the authorities almost succeeded in 1958, subjecting the Abbess to false accusations and persecution. The next planned step was to transfer the Community to the control of the Soviet authorities. However, the ancient stronghold of Orthodoxy was defended by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy I, Metropolitan Pimen (Izvekov) and other archpastors.
Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy I
A new revival of the Monastery began in the 1970s. Monastic tonsures resumed here, and the ancient traditions, established by the first Christian hermits, were restored. In June 1984, by the decree of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen the Monastery became a stauropegion.
In 1998, the Korets icon of the Mother of God "Surety of Sinners" was added to the list of miraculous icons of the Patriarchal church calendar. This happened after Abbess Natalia (Ilchuk) of Koretsky Holy Trinity Monastery submitted a petition with such a proposal to Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. With the blessing of the Patriarch, the celebration of the Korets Icon was approved on the Thursday of the 1st week after Pentecost, as well as on March 20 and June 11.
Abbess Natalia (Ilchuk)
In 1923, a case of healing from demonic possession was recorded. A young man brought from the village of Kozlin to the feast of the Holy Trinity was in a state of possession and shouting curses. After the solemn Liturgy, the priest Barsanuphius performed a prayer service for the possessed over the man.
There was clear weather. Suddenly, thunder sounded in the sky and the sufferer from the unclean spirit fell unconscious. When he woke up, his mind cleared up, and his behaviour became peaceful and quiet.
In 1924, at the time of Pentecost, the lands of Volyn were watered with heavy rains and rivers were flooded. The Abbess of the Monastery gathered a procession in order to carry the miraculous icon around the church under the downpour at least once. But as soon as the image was brought out of the church, the rain thinned out. Then they decided to go around the church three times. By the end of the procession the downpour completely stopped.
In 1938, a Polish squadron under the command of Lieutenant Adamkiewicz set out to wipe out the town of Korets and the monastery from the face of the earth. On the approaches to the town, the lieutenant suddenly fell off his horse on the gallop. “Don’t you dare touch the monastery!” he ordered with the last of his strength, and the cavalry turned back. At that time, the nuns at the Monastery prayed around the clock to the Archangel Michael and the Mother of God and observed a strict fast, not even feeding the animals.
Undoubtedly, the fact that the Korets Monastery remained active even during the years of severe persecution of Christians under the Communists, providing refuge to nuns from other monasteries, is also a miracle.
The grace of the miraculous icon protected the Monastery and those who sought refuge there. During the war years, civilians were saved in the cellars of the Monastery from bombardments and shelling.
Inside the Koretsky Holy Trinity Stavropegial Women's Monastery
During the fascist occupation, thieves attempted to rob the Monastery. They even tried to steal the Koretskaya Icon but were unable to even budge it from its place.
However, the vandals managed to take the plating adorning the image. This story repeated itself in the early 2000s. The clairvoyant elder Archimandrite Parthenius repeatedly instructed the nuns: “Take care of your Mother Superior so that she is not stolen. Otherwise, thieves will come and steal her.” When the elder passed away, the sisters realised that by "Mother Superior" he meant the Mother of God Herself, or rather, Her icon.
The Elder’s words came true in November 2001 when robbers took precious icons, church decorations, and valuable liturgical utensils from the monastery. But once again, the Most Pure Virgin performed a miracle. The thieves tried to break into the case of the "Surety of Sinners" icon but managed to take only the precious cover, while the icon itself remained unharmed and intact in the Monastery.
Procession with the Koretskaya icon of the Mother of God "Surety of Sinners"
Whether a person is visited by spiritual grief, oppressed by despair, burdened by heavy thoughts, or plagued by sinful temptations, the Mother of God hears every prayer and assists those who are tormented, weak, and lost.
The "Surety of Sinners" icon of the Mother of God, located in Korets, has become famous for numerous healings and miracles. People pray before it in times of hardship and illness, asking for help in arranging the affairs of their loved ones and finding repentance.
Years and centuries pass, eras change, and persecution for the Orthodox faith comes and goes, but people continue to turn to the Holy Theotokos as their Surety before God and believe in Her merciful help. Regardless of how progress advances, or how much worldly science changes its theories and hypotheses, the unshakable truth contained in the words of our Heavenly Intercessor remains: "I am the Surety of Sinners to My Son"...
You can send us prayer notes for a moleben, a service of supplication to the Most Holy Theotokos for the health of you and your loved ones. To do this, please follow the link below:
https://obitel-minsk.org/prayer-request
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* On June 24, 2021, Abbess Seraphima (born Princess of Korets), founder and beautifier of the Koretsky monastery, was glorified by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as a locally venerated saint.
