marian anniversaries     april

April 25

Mother of God, Murom, Vladimir, Russia

The story goes that Prince Konstantin (d. 1129), son of Sviatoslav II of Kiev, sent his own son Michael to convert the city of Murom to Christianity, but the people there killed the royal missionary. So Konstantin went to Murom himself, carrying an icon of the Mother of God from the Kiev Monastery of the Caves. At the sight, the pagans asked for forgiveness and baptism. The icon remained in Murom until St. Basil (d. 1295) took it to Ryazan, sailing 100 miles down the River Oka on his bishop's mantle. After his death it was placed on his tomb in the Ryazan Cathedral. When the cathedral closed following the Russian Revolution, the original icon disappeared. The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the Murom Mother of God on April 25 (April 12 in the old calendar), feast day of St. Basil of Ryazan. The Murom Icon is considered to be of the Tenderness (Eleusa) type, but here the child touches his mother's cheek with his hand, rather than with his own cheek, as in the famous Eleusa of Vladimir. The image shares elements of Directress (Hodegetria) icons, such as Our Lady of Kazan, whose child also holds a scroll. The copy shown here was painted by Russian artist Simon Ushakov in 1677. 

Sources include: 

"Реферат: Искусство Москвы 17 века," www.bestreferat.ru/referat-39826.html (photo)
"The Lives of the Saints," Orthodox Church in America, www.oca.org/FSlives.asp

Also commemorated this date:

Visitation of the Theotokos to Elizabeth, Melkite Greek Catholic Church 
Transfer of the Venerable Belt of the Mother of God from Zila to Constantinople in the year 942, Orthodox churches (April 12 old style)
Maria Taferl, Maria Taferl, Melk, Lower Austria, Austria (Mary of the Table). Foundation stone placed, 1660. Feast September 15.
Mother of God, Belynich, Mogilev, Belarus (April 12 old style)
Notre-Dame de Miséricorde, Charleroi, Hainaut, Wallonia, Belgium, Marchienne-au-Pont district. First mass in chapel, 1627.
Madonna di Monserrat, Borgo San Dalmazzo, Cuneo, Piedmont, Italy. Votive procession commemorates Napoleonic retreat.
Madonna del Boschetto, Dorno, Pavia, Lombardy, Italy (Our Lady of the Copse). Painting crowned, 1966.
Madonna, Castiglione delle Stiviere, Mantova, Lombardy, Italy. Procession in Astore district every five years.
Madonna delle Grazie, Costabarissa, Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. Vow made, 1917 & 1918, to build church if town not invaded.
Madonna della Misericordia, Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Verona, Italy, Gargagnago district. Statue crowned, 1954.
Madonna dei Cuori, Canda, Rovigo, Veneto, Italy. People unharmed when retreating Germans set off all their munitions, 1945.
Madonna dei Miracoli, Castel Rigone, Perugia, Umbria, Italy. Painting found after apparition, 1490.
Madonna del Cuore, Gerano, Roma, Latium, Italy (Our Lady of the Heart). Infiorata, with street tapestries of petals (Sunday following)
Madonna d'Aprile, Guidonia Montecelio, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Latium, Italy, Montecelio district. Solemn procession.
Madonna dei Fiorentini, Riofreddo, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Latium, Italy. Statue processes from the small Church of the Madonna dei Fiorentini to the parish church of San Nicola, to remain until the first Sunday in September.
Madonna delle Armi, Cerchiara di Calabria, Cosenza, Calabria, Italy. Votive mass & procession in thanksgiving for relief from 1846 drought.
Madonna Annunziata, Turi, Bari, Apulia, Italy. "Passa Passa" procession.
Madonna Annunziata, Castro, Lecce, Apulia, Italy. Festa: procession, music, fireworks.
Virgen del Pilar, Baños de Rioja, La Rioja, Spain. Procession from rural chapel to parish church. 
Virgen de Ujué, Ujué, Tafalla, Navarre, Spain. Romería Sunday following. Feast September 8.
Virgen de Ordás, Nueno, Huesca, Aragon, Spain. Romería.
Virgen del Puente, Sahagún, Léon, Castile and Léon, Spain (Virgin of the Bridge). Fiesta & romería.
Virgen de las Virtudes, Santa Cruz de Mudela, Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. Main feast September 8. Fiesta del voto April 25.
Virgen de La Natividad, Méntrida, Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. Romería.
Virgen de Monsalud, Alfarnate, Málaga, Andalucia, Spain. Bajada St. Mark's Day, April 25; Subida June 13, St. Anthony's Day; Fiesta September 12.
 

Where We Walked ~~~ Mary Ann Daly