When Did the Miraculous Icon of Theotokos Travel Outside the Mount Athos?
On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Messolonghi, the monks of Mount Athos decided to bring the holiest and most miraculous icon of the Athonite State out for public veneration in the Holy Metropolis of Aetolia and Acarnania. The icon arrived in the city of Messolonghi on Thursday, April 30, 2026.
Metropolitan Damaskinos of Aetolia and Acarnania, together with bishops, clergy, representatives of the local authorities, and a multitude of faithful, welcomed the sacred relic at the city’s main gate.
Together, they celebrated the Divine Liturgy before the holy icon.
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Until When Will the Miraculous Icon Remain Outside Mount Athos?
The icon will remain in the city until May 9. Its blessing and miraculous grace, having crossed mainland Greece from the shores of Mount Athos to Messolonghi, continue to shelter and protect the countless faithful who gather to venerate the Mother of God.
Can a Holy Icon Leave Mount Athos?
The miraculous icons preserved in Mount Athos have traveled beyond the borders of the Athonite peninsula many times throughout history. The monks decide when these sacred images may be transferred for public veneration, so that their grace and blessing may be shared with the faithful. On numerous occasions, the relics and holy treasures of Mount Athos have left the monastic republic in order to strengthen and encourage the faith of the people during periods of war, hardship, and poverty.
The History of the Icon
The icon of the Virgin Mary “Axion Esti” was originally kept in the Cell of the Dormition of Theotokos, belonging to the Monastery of Pantokrator. After the miracle associated with the icon took place there, it was transferred to the Protaton in Karyes, where it remains to this day.
According to tradition, a novice monk was praying before the icon when he received a visit from a mysterious monk. As he used to do, the novice chanted the hymn to the Virgin Mary. When he finished, the visitor continued the prayer by chanting the words “Axion Esti”.
Hearing these words for the first time and having no paper available, the young ascetic wrote the hymn on a stone. The visitor engraved the words onto the stone with his own hand and then disappeared. According to the Athonite tradition, the visitor was none other than the Archangel Gabriel himself.
In this way, the monks of Mount Athos received the hymn “Axion Esti” and, together with it, the blessing of the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.
