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| Synaxis of the Icon of the Mother of God of Koloch (Feast Day - July 9) |
The Koloch Icon of the Mother of God manifested itself in the year 1413 during the reign of Vasily I Dimitrievich, 15 versts from the city of Mozhaisk, in the vicinity of Koloch in the Smolensk governia. A peasant of this village by the name of Luke found the holy icon and took it to his home. One of his household was paralyzed. The sick one put his forehead to the icon with faith and received complete healing.
This became known through the surrounding area, and many of the suffering began to flock to the wonderworking icon, and they received help from the Mother of God. Luke afterwards took the icon to Mozhaisk, and from there to Moscow. At the capital, Metropolitan Photius, together with a gathering of clergy and a multitude of the people, met the holy icon. As the icon was carried through Moscow many of the sick were healed of their infirmities. Later they returned the icon to Mozhaisk.
At the place where the icon appeared, a church was built in honor of the Mother of God. Here the holy icon was housed.
With the offerings of the peasant Luke and other Orthodox, Prince Andrew Dimitrievich built a monastery on this site called the Kolochsk or Mozhaisk.
