October 14/1
Greetings on the Feast of the
Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God
&
St. Romanos the Melodist
Icon of Our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, and beside Him, on the right, is another icon:
St. Romanos the Melodist of Constantinople (556 A.D.)
Commemorated October 14/1
Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God
The Protection of the Mother of God is one of the most beloved feast days on the
Orthodox calendar is commemorated on October 14/1.
This feast day celebrates the appearance of the Mother of God at Blachernae (Constantinople) Turkey, in the tenth century. At the end of St. Andrew’s of Constantinople life, he, with his disciple St. Epiphanius, and a group of people, saw the Mother of God, St. John the Baptist, and several other saints and angels during a vigil service in the Church of Blachernae, near the city gates.
The church was originally built beside a miraculous fountain of healing water by the Emperor Justinian in the last years of his reign (559-560).
He ordered this church to be built beside this holy well, with the remaining construction material from the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. The Blachernae Palace church was where several of her relics were kept. The relics were her robe, veil, and part of her belt that had been transferred from Palestine during the fifth century.
During a time when the city was being threatened by a barbarian invasion, there was an All-night Vigil service in the Blachernae Church of the Mother of God. On this date, in 911 A.D., the Theotokos was seen to appear, and approaching the centre of the church, she knelt down and with tears remained in prayer for a long time. Then, she took her veil off
and spread it miraculously over all the people, as a sign of protection. After the appearance of the Mother of God, the danger was averted, and the city was spared from bloodshed and suffering. ~ From Orthodox Wiki and other sources
St. Romanos the Melodist is commemorated the same day as the Feast Day of the Protection
.