Our Lady of Pochaiv
It is known that in 1597, the icon was in the possession of a wealthy widow, Anna Hoyska, who owned the town of Pochaiv. She prayed to the Virgin Mary to heal her blind-born brother Philip, and a miracle occurred. Following this event, the icon was transferred in a religious procession to Mount Pochaiv. Later, in 1623, Anna’s grandson, Andrzej Firlej, a Calvinist, took the icon from the monastery. However, in 1644, after a complaint by Abbot Job Zalizo to the Lublin Tribunal, the court ordered the icon’s return to the monastery.
In 1675, a famous miracle occurred: the Pochaiv Monastery was saved from the Tatars, an event celebrated by Ukrainian kobzars. According to legend, during the siege, when the defenders had lost all hope, after fervent prayers by Job Zalizo to the Pochaiv Theotokos, a radiant image of the Virgin Mary appeared on the cross atop the main dome. She repelled the attackers’ bullets, after which many Tatars converted to Christianity.
From 1713 to 1833, the Pochaiv Monastery was under the care of the Uniate Basilian Order. During this period, the monastery underwent significant development, and over 539 cases of healing attributed to the Pochaiv Theotokos were documented.
In 1773, at the request of Mykola Vasyl Potocki, who sympathized with the Cossacks and converted from Catholicism to Uniatism, Pope Clement XIV granted two golden crowns to the icon.
The numerous miracles associated with the icon have led to its widespread veneration across Ukraine and beyond. It is honored by both Eastern and Western Churches. People often pray to the Pochaiv Mother of God for healing from blindness, chronic illnesses, and the liberation of captives.
However, the icon currently placed above the Royal Doors in the Pochaiv Lavra is likely not the original, as its style suggests it dates to the 19th century. Additionally, none of the surviving 17th–18th century copies of the icon feature depictions of additional saints in the corners, as seen on the current version. This discrepancy strongly indicates that the original icon, which portrayed only the Virgin Mary and Emmanuel, was likely replaced. The original may have been taken by the Basilian monks who left the monastery in 1833.
The iconography of the Pochaiv Theotokos corresponds to the Eleusa (Tenderness) type. Most commonly, it depicts the Virgin holding Emmanuel on her right arm (“right-handed”), though “left-handed” versions also exist. In her free hand, the Virgin often holds a white kerchief, suggesting a possible connection to the iconography of Our Lady of the Snows, also popular in Western Ukraine. Another widespread depiction features the Virgin and Child in the clouds, with a hill beneath showing the Virgin’s footprint, referencing the legend about the monastery’s foundation.
Mykhailo Skop
