Our Lady of Smolensk ~ Clearing Paths & Showing the Way

Description Symbol of hope, healing, clearing paths & showing you the way. There are recorded instances of blind individuals regaining their sight after looking at the icon making it a beacon of faith for those in need. Believers will also turn to the Mother of God of Smolensk for assistance in family matters, and preserving the health of loved ones. Feast days ~ July 28th or August 10th Orthodox Icons were venerated in churches, public places, private homes, and were often believed to offer protection & have healing properties. This veneration split the Church in the 8th-9th century as two opposing camps developed – those for & those against their use in worship – a situation which led to many icons being destroyed and persecution of those who venerated them. Many ordinary believers had their own family icons in their homes or carried them on their person for protection like the earlier representations of pagan gods that had been worshipped in a domestic setting independent of a priest or temple. The practice may have evolved from earlier pagan rituals, as people of the ancient world worshipped statues & figures of their gods. Evidence suggests that they commissioned portraits of their gods for veneration in their own homes, just as in churches home icons were prayed, bowed to, kissed, and had offerings of incense and tapers lit before them. Place in your home to aid in protection or even use as a focal point to give petitions and leave offerings. Vintage 90’s USSR Orthodox Icon ~ If you do not like the writing on the side the two pieces can be gently pulled apart and the hinges removed.  When they are gone they are gone.