The history of the appearance of the holy spring at the Philotheou Monastery in Mount Athos is strongly connected to the miraculous icon of Theotokos Glykofilousa, which is kept in the marble iconostasis in the northeastern column of the Katholikon. According to the athonite tradition, it is one of the icons created by the Evangelist Luke himself.
Like the icon of Theotokos Portaitissa of the Holy Monastery of Iviron, the icon of Theotokos Glykofilousa has been rescued from the hostilities of the iconoclastic period and miraculously transported to Mount Athos.
During the reign of Emperor Theophilos it belonged to a Christian woman, Victoria, who was the wife of the iconoclast Simeon. Wanting to protect the holy relic, the woman threw it into the sea. The icon travelled for a long time, until it reached the pier of Philotheou Monastery. There the abbot and the fathers of the monastery received it with great joy and honor, as the Virgin Mary herself had already informed them of the arrival of her sacred icon.
Holy water has been flowing ever since at the place where the wood was placed. To this day, the blessing of the spring helps all visitors who rush to venerate the grace of the Virgin Mary.
THE HISTORY OF THE ICON OF THEOTOKOS GLYKOFILOUSA
The Byzantine emperor and iconoclast Theophilos had by his side, among others, a man named Simeon. The latter's wife, known as Victoria, was in possession of the sacred icon of Theotokos Glykofilousa. She was a particularly pious and faithful woman. During the strong battles caused by the theory of iconoclasm, she was forced to hide the holy relic.
Initially, she placed the icon in a hidden iconostasis she had at home and which she used to worship when her husband was away. Simeon was an ardent iconoclast and, when he learned that his wife was not following his example, he was outraged.
One day he said to her: "Victoria, this wretched image you worship must be handed over to the authorities. We must let them burn it, for if they come looking for it and find it in our home I shall be irreparably exposed in the eyes of the emperor."
"I fear no one but God," Victoria said and asked for some time to think it over.
That same evening she stood before the image of the Virgin Mary and said:
"Holy Mary, enlighten me. Show me what I must do, so that the icon may be saved and no Christian may be harmed.".jpg)
By the grace of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the pious Victoria found the solution. She went down to the sea, venerated the icon several times and then threw it into the waves, praying that it would not fall into the hands of iconoclasts.
The icon of Theotokos Glykofilousa, instead of sinking into the abyss, began to float miraculously upright on the surface of the water.
It crossed many countries before it finally reached Mount Athos. There it came ashore in front of the arsanas of Philotheou Monastery.
THE ARRIVAL IN MOUNT ATHOS AND THE EMERGE OF THE SPRING
By the moment the icon reached the shores of Mount Athos, the abbot, who was asleep in his cell at that time, heard a voice that woke him up.
"Get up! Run quickly to the shore to get my holy icon."
Indeed, the monks saw the holy icon standing on the sand. The abbot reverently embraced the wood with the holy face of the Virgin Mary. At that moment a second miracle was performed. A holy water began to flow from the spot where the icon was placed.
This spring has never dried up to this day. Additionally, it is believed that the holy water flowing in the Philotheou Monastery can cure all illnesses.
The icon was taken in procession to the interior of the monastery, where it is kept until today. It has always been considered as a miraculous icon, both because of its unexpected appearance and because of the numerous miracles it has performed.
THE MIRACLES OF THE ICON OF THEOTOKOS GLYKOFILOUSA
The icon is painted on hardwood. Although it has been damaged by the years, the light and the freshness of the colors bring out its beauty. For a long time, the surface of the icon was covered by a silver and gold frame, from which only the faces of the figures were excluded. Elder Ephraim, the former abbot of Philotheou Monastery, removed this covering and allowed the icon of the Virgin Mary to shine in all its splendor before the eyes of the faithful.
The icon has performed many miracles. In 1713 it answered the prayers of a pious monk who complained about the financial weakness of the monastery. The Virgin Mary proved to him that the monastery had everything it needed..jpg)
Another miracle was performed in 1801. One of the pilgrims, seeing the precious gifts hanging in front of the icon, wanted to steal them. He hid in the church and after the Divine Liturgy, when the monks had left, he quietly collected all precious offerings. He quickly ran to the arsanas of the Monastery of Iviron and took the first ship leaving for Ierissos.
The ship sailed away from the pier, but, despite the excellent weather, it suddenly froze and stayed still in the middle of the sea. At the same time, the abbot of Philotheou Monastery saw that the precious offerings had been stolen and sent monks to various places in Mount Athos in order to search for them.
Two of the monks went to the arsanas of the Monastery of Iviron. There they saw the ship and immediately realized what had happened. They got into a boat and came close to it. The thief, being terrified, returned the stolen goods and asked for forgiveness. They felt that the young man had sincerely regretted his action and did not want him to be punished. Thus, the offerings of the faithful were returned to the monastery and continued to adorn the holy icon of Theotokos Glykofilousa.
