Giver of healings: prayer to the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God

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This sacred face is also popularly called the Gatekeeper, Goalkeeper or Portaitissa. The Iveron Icon of the Mother of God got its name from the monastery, which is located in Iveria, Georgia. It is located on the Holy Mount Athos.

It is known for helping to get rid of ailments, as well as protect your home from unwanted visits. The monks noted that it can warn of possible cataclysms and negative phenomena in the world.

Where is the Iveron Icon located?

The first memories of it date back to the 9th century, when divine images were violated and were subject to destruction. According to legend, she was saved by a widow who lived near Nicaea. But everything secret becomes clear.

Warriors came to this woman’s house and wanted to take away the image. One of them pointed a spear at the icon and hit it, and blood spilled from the face of the Mother of God. The widow prayed to the Most Pure One and headed towards the sea. When the woman lowered the image into the water, she saw that she began to move along the waves while standing.

This story about an image with its face pierced and released into the sea reached Mount Athos. The only son of this widow became a monk on the Holy Mountain and stayed near the place where several centuries ago a ship with the Mother of God, who was being taken to Cyprus, landed. And then in the 10th century, John, a Georgian nobleman, and Torniky, a Byzantine military leader, laid the foundation for the creation of the Iveron monastery.

One day, the monks of this monastery saw a high pillar of fire above the sea, which rose above the face of the Mother of God, which was in the water. They tried to get closer to her, but the closer they swam, the further the image went into the sea. The brothers prayed to the Lord and asked to give this image to their monastery.

A few nights later, the Mother of God came to Elder Gabriel and said that she was ready to give them her icon for help and protection. But for this he must enter the sea and come to her along the waves.

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Early in the morning, the monks arrived on the shore and began singing a prayer service. The Elder Walked on the water to receive the divine image. At first she was placed in a chapel and they prayed over her for three days. Then she was moved to the cathedral church. At the place where she stood a source of sweet, clean water appeared.

But after night she was seen above the monastery gates. The monks returned it to its original place, but soon it again found itself above the entrance gate. Such miracles continued several times. After this, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to Elder Gabriel and said that she should not be protected, but that she herself would be the guardian of the brethren. And her mercy will be with them as long as the image is in their monastery.

The monks built a gate church in honor of the Mother of God and the miraculous Iveron Icon remains there to this day.

The celebration in her honor takes place on Tuesday of Bright Week. On this day, the monks go in procession to the sea coast, where Gabriel received the shrine.

History of the image

The history of the Iveron Icon began in the ninth century, when shrines were destroyed and people were persecuted for their faith. Then the legend about the bleeding wound on the face of the Virgin Mary was born. All copies of the image of the Iveron Icon show traces of blood.

One warrior found the face of the Virgin Mary in a woman’s house while she was praying, and stuck a spear into her. Blood began to flow from the site of the impact, which frightened him. The woman tried to save the image, but in vain. As a result, she gave him up to the waves of the sea. The icon did not drown, but washed up on the shores of the Iveron Monastery. People saw a pillar of fire on the water for several days, and when they came to the shore, they saw a standing icon.

An amazing story is connected with its other name, “The Goalkeeper.” The holy face was placed in the Athos monastery, but the next day it was above the gate. This continued several times, until the Mother of God appeared in a dream to Saint Gabriel and declared her will. She wants to be a "Goalkeeper".

Each icon has its own days. For the Iveron image it is February 25 and October 26. On these days, an akathist is sung and a prayer is read.

In Russia, a copy of the Iveron Icon was placed above the Resurrection Gate. Imperial people came to her to pray before important events. They took her to the sick, believing in her healing power. The holy image along with the chapel was destroyed in 1917. Now in Moscow there is a list of miracles sent from the Athos monastery.

The meaning of the Iveron icon

In the monastery they talk about the miraculous influence of this image. The Virgin Mary helps with:

• healing the sick,
• restocking,
• getting rid of barbarian raids.

There is a story when the Persians tried to capture the monastery. The monks prayed to the Mother of God. And suddenly a terrible storm began. The robbers' ships were sunk. Only the military leader Amir survived. He was surprised by the power of God's wrath and asked for forgiveness. For the remission of sins, he gave a large amount of money for the construction of the walls of the monastery.

The miraculous icon often denounced and admonished the brethren. One day a poor man came to the monastery. He had no money, but he wanted to spend the night and eat. At this moment there was a problem with the amount of food and the gatekeeper decided to take money from him. Since he was poor, he was refused.

And the poor man decided to head to the capital of Athos. On the way, he met a woman who gave him a gold coin. The beggar returned to the monastery and gave the money to the gatekeeper. The monks saw the coin and were struck by its antiquity. They remembered that such coins were not in the frame of the image. They asked the poor man to tell where he got it from. He told about a stranger woman. And then the monks realized that it was the Mother of God herself.

In order to bring some sense to the monks, all the food was spoiled. The monks repented and never took more payment for meals and overnight stays from the poor. The monks warmly welcome pilgrims and treat them to coffee, rakia and Turkish delight.

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The wonderful psalmist Vlah Nektarios was invited to the monastery. He had a wonderful voice and many singers envied him. During the meal he was poisoned. Feeling very bad, he turned to the Mother of God with prayer and took oil from the lamp. He was completely healed. He sang that day as wonderfully as never before.

Before the outbreak of the First World War, the baby's face changed from meek to menacing.

The monks also noted that the lamp with oil in front of the face begins to sway without any external influence. This serves as a warning of disaster.

She never left the Holy Mountain, but Saint Nile the Myrrh-Streaming said that this would happen shortly before the Second Coming of Christ.

Many copies were made from it and sent to different parts of the world.

Under what circumstances do they apply?

Prayer is most often addressed to Portaitissa in the following situations:

• when there is a threat of robbers entering the house, in the event of emergencies or disasters;
• in the presence of serious medical diagnoses, including psychiatric ones;
• for sincere repentance of sins, a request for admonition and the acquisition of true faith and peace of mind;
• in difficult life circumstances, after a series of sorrows and troubles;
• if they have harmful addictions, they ask to get rid of them.

What do they pray for to the Iveron Mother of God icon?

This image is addressed:

• for consolation in troubles,
• fires,
• increasing the fertility of the land,
• adversity.

This image will help everyone find inner purity. You can turn to Her in prayer and harmful desires will be overcome, your heart will calm down. The Mother of God is asked for intercession not only for themselves, but for their loved ones, and even enemies.

Prayer to the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God

O Most Holy Virgin, Mother of the Lord, Queen of heaven and earth! Hear the much-painful sighing of our souls, look down from Thy holy height upon us, who with faith and love worship Thy most pure image. Behold, immersed in sins and overwhelmed by sorrows, looking at Your image, as if You were alive and living with us, we offer our humble prayers. Imams have no other help, no other intercession, no consolation except You, O Mother of all who mourn and are burdened! Help us, the weak, satisfy our sorrow, guide us, the erring, on the right path, heal and save the hopeless, grant us the rest of our lives to spend in peace and silence, grant us a Christian death and appear to us at the Last Judgment of Your Son, merciful Intercessor, yes We always sing, magnify and glorify Thee, as the good Intercessor of the Christian race, with all those who have pleased God. Amen.

Prayer read at the moleben before the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Her Chapel:

Oh, Most Holy Lady and Lady Theotokos! Accept our unworthy prayer, and save us from the slander of evil people and from sudden death, and grant us repentance before the end. Have mercy on our prayer and grant joy instead of sorrow. And deliver us, Lady, from all misfortune and adversity, sorrow and illness, and from all evil. And grant us, Thy sinful servants, to the right hand at the Second Coming of Thy Son, Christ our God, and heirs of the existence of the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal life with all the saints throughout the endless ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer help

Correct prayer must be learned. To do this, you need to improve yourself and make sure that prayers are not read automatically before the images. The state of the soul must be peaceful, otherwise a conversation with God, His Immaculate Mother and the holy saints will not work.

Prayer is then especially valuable in Heaven when, thanks to it, the prayer book changes himself, his worldview and attitude to the surrounding reality.

• The Iveron Mother of God will help when your heart is heavy and your soul “hurts”, something worries or weighs you down.
• The Mother of God will help mentally ill people find peace and calm the condition of their relatives.
• If relatives have physical illnesses or bodily injuries, the prayer in front of the Iveron Icon will certainly be heard and, according to the faith of the petitioners, will be rewarded to them. Even if the doctors abandoned the patient and predicted his imminent death, the Mother of God will heal the sick person.
• You can pray for the preservation of your home, for the passage of fires, earthquakes and other natural disasters.
• The Mother of God loves children very much, therefore, according to mother’s prayers, beloved children will always be under reliable Heavenly Cover.
• If among your relatives or friends there is a sinner who is not going to repent of his atrocities, then you can pray for him before the Iveron Mother of God and ask for forgiveness for his sins.

What does the Iveron Mother of God icon help with?

As with other images of the Mother of God, before her you can ask for deliverance from ailments of the body and soul. It is necessary to remember that you need to turn to her not only with a prayer of request or repentance, but also with gratitude.

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Where to hang the Iveron Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Goalkeeper?

This image is a female intercessor and keeper of the hearth. Traditionally, this image is placed above the front door.

The number of icons in the room and their placement are not particularly important. Certain rules must be followed, but the most important thing is faith in the soul of every person. It is necessary not only to ask, but also to give thanks for the grace that comes to us.

God bless you!

“Holy Virgin, help!”

The importance of the Iveron Icon for the culture and spirituality of Russia is difficult to overestimate. Looking at the image, one involuntarily recalls all the trials that the Church endured together with its country: unbelief, destruction of churches, desecration of shrines, destruction of priests. During spiritual rebirth, we must remember this. Thousands of people came with their troubles, many received help, renewed their faith and desire to serve God.

Even those who had not visited the temple for many years returned to normal Christian life and repented after communicating with the shrine. There are known cases when the icon kept people from committing suicide. Those in conflict found peace. In some temples, on the eve of visiting the shrine, flowers grew in abundance. But the most important miracle is when a person finds harmony with God and peace in his soul. The Queen of Heaven also helps with this.

Protector of the home

The second name "Portaissa" means "Goalkeeper".
It is no coincidence that an iconographic face is placed above the entrance to protect the home from robbery, attack, fire and other misfortunes. Any printed version of the icon, just like the original, can protect a family from enemy attacks. The main thing is not to forget to say prayer! A wondrous holy image once disarmed a God-fighter and led him to the faith of Christ, so may the Iveron Mother of God help us all on the path of salvation and goodness! And the blood on her Most Holy face becomes a reminder of the need for repentance, fidelity and gratitude to our Intercessor. More often resort to crying in prayer to the Iveron Mother of God in order to stay healthy, live safely in your own home, be with Christ and not deviate from the true path!

What should you not do on holidays?

There are certain restrictions when holding a solemn celebration. A visit to the bathhouse was mandatory. It was believed that on this day one could gain health for the whole next year.

Had

perform ablutions, cleanse the soul and body.

There were also restrictions associated with this ritual. For example, you should not enter the bathhouse wearing a cross. It was previously filmed. It is believed that one must respect the bath spirit.

You shouldn't go to the bathhouse at night. At the end of daylight, water and soap were left inside. This meant showing respect to the spirit of the bathhouse. If possible, they behaved carefully in the bathhouse, because the spirit could get angry and harm people. To respect him, they asked permission to enter the dressing room.

Miraculous properties and reviews

The most famous situations when the sacred face of the Most Pure One showed miraculous properties to the world include the following:

• During the Persian siege of the Athos monastery, the Mother of God responded to the prayers of the monks, sending a powerful storm that provoked the shipwreck of the opponents.
• Once, the monastery servants refused to give an overnight stay to a poor wanderer who could not pay for his stay. After this, all the supplies in the monastery spoiled. The man returned a few hours later with the money, telling the brothers the story of how a kind-hearted woman on his way donated a coin to him. The monks realized that it was the Most Holy Mary and to this day they do not charge travelers.
• The inextinguishable “Lamp of the Goalkeeper,” located above the face in the Iveron Monastery, begins to swing, foreshadowing serious tragedies, military actions and disasters. This was the case on the eve of such shocks as the outbreak of the First World War, the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, and major earthquakes.

Alevtina P.:

I had the honor of seeing with my own eyes the Moscow list of Goalkeepers. During a difficult period of my life, only faith in a Higher Power helped me to resist.

Ivan F.:

I pray for the health of myself, my children and even my enemies in front of this face. Help doesn't keep you waiting. I also advise you to read the akathist.