The myrrh flowing icon of Tsar-martyr Nikolai the 2nd on Valaam
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Myrrh effluence and fragrance from Saint icons and relics.
On Yule the 21st, 2000, in the day of the Feast of Kazan icon of the Mother of God, the icon of Tsar-martyr Nikolai the 2nd Alexandrovich arrived from S.-Petersburg to the Holy land of Valaam.
During the stay of this icon in Odessa on February the 15th, 2000 (The Meeting of the Lord) the Metropolitan Agafangel of Odessa and Izmail had declared about ranking tsar martyrs to the multitude of localy honored Saints. During ranking St. tsar martyrs to the multitude of Saints the Grace Fire went down onto the Altar of Iversky monastery.
The icon of King-martyr had been written by the Russian artist Pavel Tikhomirov in USA. In 1998 the lithographs of the icon had been brought to Moscow. One of these lithographs came to be in Ryazan City, where in Holy-Nikolsky shelter some colour photocopies were made. Made out in a frame, on March the15th, 1998. the photocopy was presented to the servant of God named Oleg. On the icon there is an image of Tsar-martyr Nikolai the 2nd in Grand Duke's attire with a Scepter and Majestic in his hands. In upper corners of the icon there are two brands: of Iov the Long-suffering, whose Feast day is also the day of Nikolai the 2nd memory; and of archbishop Nikolai the Miracle-worker - heavenly patron of the Tsar. Under the image in an oval there are the next words: " This Holy icon 's written for glorification of Tsar in Russia ".
On September the 6th, 1998 the icon began to be fragrant in Sretensky monastery of Moscow. With the blessing of archimandrite Kirill(Pavlov), the confessor of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Laura, archpriest Nikolai(Gurjanov) from Zalit island and Valaam elder priest-monk in scheme Rafail(Berestov) the icon is being transferred from church into church for adoration.
The fragrant icon of piety Tsar-martyr visited different churches and monasteries of more than twenty dioceses.
From time to time the icon yields the fragrant myrrh. Nine cases of healing from different illnesses were fixed for last two years. During stay of the icon in Tulchinsko-Bratcslovskaja diocese this year on June 4 cases of healing had taken place. The cases of healing, made out by the official report, had been transferred to the hierarchy of Church.
On July the 1st the icon of Tsar had arrived to Belorussia. It was solemnly met in churches and monasteries of Mogilyov, Bobruisk, Minsk and Minsk region. Before Saint icon of Tsar-martyr they prayed in Zhirovitskaja cloister as well as in the monastery of Efrosinja of Polotsk.
On July the 15th the icon of piety Tsar had been solemnly received by Valaam metochion in St.-Petersburg. On July the17th, in the day of assassination of St. tsar martyrs, thousands of believers have passed with the miracle-working icon in Crusade devoted that mournful date in history of Fatherland. The pray standing by the walls of Kazan Cathedral had been completed by moleben and singing of akafist to tsar-martyr. With the large enthusiasm the thousands of believers had sung the hymn-pray of Russian people: " God, keep the Tsar... "
The tears of sorrow and forgiveness, tears of joy from meeting with the miracle-working image of Tsar the Emperor Nikolai the 2nd; that day tears of redemption were seen by St.-Petersburg. Despite of a rain, during more than three hours the petersburgers kissed the precious light image of their Tsar.
At 22-30 on July the 19th the fragrant myrrh flowing over the icon had been fixed.
Brethren of Valaam metochion and 180 pilgrims from Ukraine led by archbishop Nifont of Lutcsk and Volynsk joined soon prayed with reverence by myrrh flowing image of Nikolai the 2nd. Oil was consecrated by collected myrrh, and with that oil archbishop Nifont had made the anointing of the people who were in the church.
On July the 21st the miracle-working icon of Tsar-martyr was solemnly met by northern Afon.
Already with the approach of the ship to Nikolsky skete the bells of majestic Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Saviour had rung out.
Brethren of Valaam monastery led by the Abbot archimandrite Pankraty, the pilgrims and the inhabitants of the island had received the miracle-working saint icon with reverence.
The image of Tsar-martyr with crusade had been carried from Monastery Bay and laid onto lectuen in the cloister's church of the Sts. Segius and German. Numerous pilgrims, the inhabitants and brethren, filled the church, prayed fervently by the miracle-working icon.
"First Majestic,voices of hundreds of believers after the termination of moleben could be heard under the vaults of the cloister.
The Orthodox Rus,
God, keep the Tsar!... ",
Within all night the church was opened for adoration to that sacred thing. Again and again by the shrine of Sts. Sergius and German there sounded: " Be pleased, Nicholas, crowned by God and great patient and long-suffering... "
During the thanksgiving moleben strong fragrance and the discharge of drops of myrrh on the glass covering the icon had been marked. At night, when pilgrims were reading akafist by the icon, the myrrh had been appearing. Before the beginning of divine Liturgy, in spite of the fact that the icon frequently was wiped by clean shawl because many people wanted to kiss the sacred icon, almost incessantly divine fragrant moisture stood out on the glass. Before Sunday's All-Night Vigil service it became known that the icons in iconostasis of church in honor of Sts. enlightened in Fasting at the abbots' cemetery began to flow.
Immediately after that, Oleg Ivanovich Belchenko, the keeper of the miracle-working icon of Tsar-martyr and the Abbot of the monastery archimandrite Pankraty had gone to the cemetery, and they had testified the presence of myrrh flowing down by little streams over the all surface of the icon of the Saviour (polygraph copy pasted on board) and two little streams of myrrh on a surface of the icon of the Mother of God.
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The next day on Sunday in the evening three streams of the myrrh stood out from blessing, right hand of the Saviour on the large icon of XVII century on the right pillar of the Cathedral. Being collected on cotton wool the transparent and dense myrrh yielded the strongest, unearthly aroma, that was certified by the brethren and numerous pilgrims, which were anointed with that myrrh mixed with oil.
In the fourth day of myrrh flowing icon staying on Valaam, after it was brought back to the Cathedral after visiting the skete of All Saints, where new-honored St. elder Antipa of the Valaam made his feats, miracle and very strong fragrance began to go out from his saint relics. The relics of the Saint were fragrant not for the first time, for example they were fragrant at 1st Week of Great Fast in 1996, but brethren had not ever felt such strong aroma.
The icon of Tsar was very fragrant and myrrh flowing during of moleben singing on Smolensky skete, and after the termination of moleben the myrrh began to discharge from the Smolenskaja icon of the Mother of God. The miracle-working icon had visited all sketes, and the crusade along the waters with the icon of Tsar-martyr took place around the islands of Valaam archipelago. In Friday the brethren saw off the myrrh flowing image, which arrived to Moscow on Sunday.
Valaam, July 2000
