Shrines of Athos: secrets of the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Honorable Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary

I continue to introduce you to the miracles that occurred through people’s prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos in the hope of the miraculous power of Her Honorable Belt. The book from which these miracles are taken was published in the Vatopedi Monastery. A new edition of the book is now being prepared, which will include both the most modern miracles and those recorded in ancient Byzantine chronicles.

The book we are introduced to today.

This is completely impossible because it is a congenital defect.
Nicosia
“I got married in 1981 and after four years I discovered that I could not have children. After a series of examinations, I was told that this was completely impossible, because it was a congenital defect. All this happened in 1985.
In 1995, I visited the Holy Monastery of Vatopedi, where I spent Holy Week. There I heard about the Holy Belt of the Virgin Mary. After worship, the hieromonk placed the Belt on me and read a prayer. After that, he gave me a belt from the Honest Belt and told me to girdle myself with it, since I had a problem. My wife Eleni had no problems.
After 10 months (March 1996), my wife visited the doctor to do some tests, and he told her that she was already two months pregnant. We presented him with all the evidence that stated that, from a scientific point of view, I could not have children. He studied them and the only thing he said was: “I can’t say anything. This is just a miracle".
I praise Panagia and Her Holy Belt for the divine gift given to me.”
Konstantin and Elena Farazi

There is no more tumor. Disappeared
6-4-1995, Athens
“I will tell you about the miracle that happened thanks to the belt from the Holy Belt, which you sent me as a blessing, so that we can thank the Mother of God with all our hearts for her rich Grace.
Fani Fusteri, a young woman, came to me, crying inconsolably. She saw many doctors, did many tests and x-rays, which she showed me. All the doctors told her with one voice: cancer. We urgently need to go to the hospital for surgery, and God grant that we make it in time, since the stage is very serious. I felt sorry for her, because she and I were the same age. She was supposed to be around. They have no money because they got their daughter married 3 months ago. And immediately I thought that I should give her the belt for a while as a blessing. I explained to her that it was consecrated on the Holy Belt of the Virgin Mary. With tears in her eyes, she tied it tightly on her chest, just where she had a tumor, and told me: “I believe, Anna, that only the Mother of God can help me.”
It was noon on Saturday. She was scheduled to undergo surgery on Monday. Everything was already ready. On Monday, the doctor began to examine her, began to palpate the tumor that was on the surface, but there was no tumor. She disappeared. He didn't keep her in the hospital for another minute. A miracle happened. The doctor was at a loss. Now Fani is completely healthy.”
Sincerely, Anna Vas. Anagnost.

The doctor confirms my story
27-4-1996
Barsau (Romania)
“My name is Suligetean Christina, I live in the village of Barsau, 12, in the Harau community of the Hu-nedoara district. I am an Orthodox Christian and often go to church. I was born in 1971, and at the age of 19, that is, in 1990, I married Lucian. We really wanted a child, but could not have one. We tried for seven years, we were prescribed various courses of treatment, but everything was to no avail. We also went to Sovata, to thermal springs that treat infertility, but it didn’t help me. We had given up all hope of having children and were both quite upset.
Our family doctor gave us another hope and advised us to turn to God, since people are weak and not everything is under their control, but everything is under His control. The doctor himself brought me a consecrated belt (from the Holy Belt of the Virgin Mary) from the Vatopedi Monastery, which was given to him by one of his friends from the neighboring village of Babotok. I began to pray and girded myself with faith in God. The divine miracle happened faster than human logic could have expected. I became pregnant, and this happened, according to the doctor’s calculations, in the first days after I put on the belt. Our Lady took me into her arms. I had a normal pregnancy, and on January 4, 1998, I gave birth to a beautiful boy in the Dewas hospital, whom we named Christian Ivan, since he was born shortly before January 7, when St. John is celebrated.
We are unworthy to thank God and His Mother for the great joy they brought to our home. We told about all this so that evidence would be preserved for everyone and so that people would see the divine power and help of the Mother of our God, who works miracles when we humans are helpless. Our family doctor, who has always helped us, confirms this story and seals it with his signature and seal.
May the Lord and Our Lady help you"
With deep respect and respect,
Supigethean Christina

The likelihood of survival was very low
“My name is Nikulina Glodarenko. I live in Constanta, Romania, at the address: st. Mirchea tsel Batran, 152A, and I work as a chief accountant in a hospital.
On January 5, 1999, my husband Viktor Glodarenko suffered a stroke. He was admitted to the neurosurgery department. A few days later he developed kidney failure and was transferred to intensive care. Analyzes showed that the situation was very serious. And although the doctors tried to do everything possible to save his life, the likelihood of his survival was low. There were some hours left.
In such a moment of despair, a certain gentleman came, whom I met at work, who, with tears in his eyes, handed me several shrines: an icon of the Mother of God, a belt from the Holy Belt, an olive branch and a little oil, which he had brought from Athos, and asked me to put them under my husband's pillow. I put them down, and as if by miracle, my husband began to come to his senses.
Although my husband was looked after by highly qualified doctors and given the best drugs, they could not explain how he began to recover when they gave him no chance. Gradually, the tests became normal, and after a repeat encephalogram it was found that the blood clot had completely disappeared!
Indeed, when patients suffer a stroke, if they manage to survive, they remain disabled at best. Less than 30 days after the stroke, my husband was back on his feet and walking out of the intensive care unit on his own feet, and nothing like this had ever happened in our hospital to date. This event
completely changed my perception of the world and strengthened my faith in God. I cannot explain why this gentleman came to me and brought me these “treasures” precisely at that moment when the doctors left us no more hope. I am sure that only the power of Our Father, and His Son, and the Holy Spirit pushed him to come to me in those difficult moments.
I cannot find words to glorify and thank our Lord, who did everything to save my family. My husband is an amazing person who helps the poor from his own resources. As a university professor, he helped many students and students.”
With great respect and repentance I fall to your hand,
Nikulina Glodarenko

I inform you about the miracles of the Virgin Mary
26-4-1999, London
“I am sending you this letter and want to inform you about the miracles of Panagia that occurred through the belts from the Holy Belt.
I have three daughters, and they all experienced difficulties with childbearing. Two of them lost their first child at the beginning of pregnancy, and then they developed health problems. The doctor told the third daughter that it would be difficult for her to have a child. But the Mother of God heard my prayers and sent us to Father S., my confessor, who got us the belts of the Mother of God. My daughters girded themselves with them, and blessed boys were born to each of them.
I also gave one belt to a girl who had no children, now she has a boy, after seven attempts to get pregnant.
Our friend came from Cyprus, she had a cancerous tumor in her breast. She had two surgeries and with the help of Our Lady's Holy Belt she recovered.
The next miracle happened to Andrula, who, after 25 years of marriage, became pregnant at 44 years old. But during pregnancy she had serious health problems. She was diagnosed with 4 tumors that prevented the fetus from developing properly. I gave her a belt from the Holy Belt as directed by my confessor. The tumors receded and allowed the child to grow. Now she has a boy 8 months old.
I see that thanks to all these miracles our faith is strengthened, since many people say that miracles do not happen in our time. I want to explain that before putting on the belt, you must confess, which is a manifestation of humility and preparedness.”
With great respect, Nedi

Doctors expected him to die
31-3-2000, Canada
“A month ago I received an envelope containing a treasure from Athos for us who live so far away. It was a ribbon of fabric consecrated on the Holy Belt of the Virgin Mary. I want to tell you about the first miracle.
Our friend came to my store and told me that his father was dying. He had surgery (brain cancer) 20 days ago and was aphasic. Everyone was very upset. I told him that they had sent us a belt from the Holy Belt from the Sacred Monastery of Vatopedi, and gave it to him, telling him to cross his father’s head with it, and he would recover. But I asked to return it to me, so that later it could be given to other people for worship.
Indeed, he went to the hospital and crossed his father’s head. After a while, although he had been in a coma for 20 days, like a living corpse, he yawned twice, opened his eyes briefly and lost consciousness again. Then his son put the envelope with the Holy Belt under his pillow for the whole night, and the miracle happened. The next day the patient woke up, spoke and stood up for a while. The belt is on him. He's doing better now, and his doctors can't believe it. They expected him to die. My friend really asked me to leave him the belt for a while until his father leaves the hospital...”
With respect and boundless love, Theophilus

Two years of suffering caused by a rare type of cancer
23-8-2001, Vogatsiko
“I have been suffering from a rare type of cancer for two years now. This winter has been especially difficult for me. When the Venerable Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos was brought to Kastoria, my daughter brought me the icon with the belt that you distributed to the believers. As soon as they were in the room, I, despite the fact that I was in severe pain and had been chained to the bed for 2.5 months, jumped up and began to kiss the icon with tears. It seemed to me that the Mother of God herself came to my room.
When I was in the hospital at an appointment with an orthopedist, he prescribed me medications, and also told me to buy an orthopedic belt and go on bed rest. Then I told my daughter that I would wear the belt of the Virgin Mary, because I believe that She will help me. And the Mother of God performed a miracle. After twenty days the pain disappeared and I began to recover. I ordered an icon of the Honest Belt and now I will celebrate its holiday every year.”
With deep respect, Niki Papandreou

Miracles of the Honest Belt in America
Panagiotis Kallas, living in Florida, USA, during his visit to our monastery, wrote about the following cases.
1. “In September 2001, I had dinner with my friends. One of them told about his daughter, who had heart cancer and was pregnant. Doctors wanted to remove the tumor, but she would have lost the baby. She herself could have died from the tumor if she had given birth in the ninth month. I gave my friend a belt consecrated on the Belt of the Mother of God, the oil of Panagia from the miraculous icons of the Vatopedi Monastery, as well as Her icon “The All-Tsarina” (Pantanassa), which heals people from cancer.
My friend flew from Miami to New York to visit his daughter. She tied a ribbon around her hand, anointed her stomach with blessed oil and placed the icon there.
The child was born healthy, and the mother’s tumor completely disappeared without surgery.”
2. “In April 2002, my daughter-in-law’s uncle was in the hospital with liver cancer. He had no hope of recovery, since all his internal organs were affected. A priest had already been called to the dying man for communion and confession.
My daughter-in-law sent her uncle a piece of the belt consecrated at the Honest Belt. The package arrived at his home address. She was immediately transferred to the hospital where the dying man was. As soon as the envelope with the ribbon was in the room, the patient immediately felt better. When he opened the envelope, not yet knowing about its contents, the indicators of the condition of the internal organs improved. When the patient touched the consecrated belt, his condition improved so much that he was able to return home.
None of the hospital doctors, who considered his condition hopeless, could believe what had happened. The cancer disappeared and now my daughter-in-law’s uncle is alive and well.”

What you're wearing saved you
15-10-2002, Thessaloniki
“My name is Ilyadu Stavroula, I am 25 years old. I would like to tell you about how I became pregnant in October 2000, when I kissed the Honest Belt of Panagia in the village of Assiro nomos Thessaloniki. My pregnancy was going well, and on July 21, 2001, it was time to give birth. Since the previous evening, I had put the Honest Belt belt in my suitcase, but before leaving for the maternity hospital, something prompted me to put it on. Some people even made fun of me when I had the epidural.
During labor, I silently prayed as my baby lost his pulse. He was tangled in two places with the umbilical cord, on the handle and on the neck, so there was a danger of suffocation. By the grace of the Mother of God my son was born. When I crossed myself and thought that everything was over, I was wrong. A series of dangerous postpartum complications put my life at risk. My body reacted negatively even to the blood transfusion. I was exhausted and had no strength to fight. At the last moment before the ambulance had to take me to the hospital, I touched the belt of the Honorable Belt and said: “My Mother of God, let everything be according to Your will. Help me survive, and I will talk about Your miracle everywhere. If Your will is for me to leave this life, help those whom I leave to cope with the pain.”
The hospital had already prepared an operating room, and the doctors told my loved ones that my situation was critical. I don't remember what happened until the next day. I remember only one professor, an obstetrician-gynecologist, who stood in the doorway of the intensive care unit and told me: “What you are wearing saved you. First of all, the Belt of the Virgin Mary helped, and only then did all the others.” He later said the same thing to my parents.

I recovered very quickly. Two months after giving birth, I thanked the Mother of God: in Her honor, I made a pilgrimage to the island of Tinos and Sohos, where I kissed the Honest Belt, which saved me, with great tenderness.
At every opportunity, I tell people about this miracle and thank the Mother of God with all my heart.”
Best regards, Ilyadu Stavrupa

I got out of bed and went
08/15/2004, Vatopedi
Mr. Nikolai Yiannopoulos, having visited our monastery, wrote the following:
“My name is Nikolai Yiannopoulos, I am the son of Andrei and Sofia, I live in Patras (Adimantou, 1), and I am 23 years old.
On 14-10-2000 I was in a very serious car accident and was admitted to the Rio Hospital. I suffered a ruptured small intestine (peritonitis), a fractured jaw and left tibia, and fibular nerve palsy. After surgery, only after six months did relative improvements appear in all damaged parts of the body, except for the nerve of the fibula. I could not move my foot or bend the knee of my left leg.
All the doctors said that there was no hope that I would be able to walk again, because it was a special illness in which there could be no talk of restoring the mobility of my leg.
In my prayers (and I have been praying since childhood) I asked for healing. Two years have passed since the accident, and there was no hope for doctors. In 2002, on the evening of Holy Monday, I dreamed that my family and I were going for a walk in the mountains, and I wanted to be the first to get to the top. I got there, but my body was covered with wounds, and all my clothes were covered with blood. I was alone at the top, fell to my knees, stretched out my hands to the sky and shouted loudly: “Most Holy Mother of God, heal my leg.” The sky was clear, but suddenly lightning flashed and it was as if the heavens had opened up, and in the middle appeared the Honest Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos, hanging from heaven, which wrapped around my paralyzed leg. When I woke up in the morning, I tried to understand the meaning of what I saw in my dream. I had hope that I would recover, and so I decided to have another operation.
My doctor couldn't decide on surgery because, as he told me, it could cause even more harm. I asked him passionately, telling him what I saw in my dream. “It is only for the sake of your great faith that I will do this. Tomorrow I will operate on you."
In the evening, after praying, I lay down on the hospital bed, anxiously awaiting tomorrow. I asked the Most Holy Theotokos, St. Nicholas and St. Athanasius the Great to enlighten the doctor and for everything to go well. In a dream, I saw that I was lying on a surgical table and the doctor was holding my leg with curiosity, not knowing what to do. And then I saw St. Nicholas and St. Athanasius to the right and left of the doctor: they guided his actions, and on the third day after surgery I was able to walk again.

On the morning of Good Friday 2002 I was operated on, and on Easter Monday the doctor came to see me. He noticed that the cast they put on me was cracked and said it was very bad. While removing the old cast to put on a new one, he touched my foot - out of curiosity - to see if it was worse than before. Surprisingly, at that moment I felt that my leg could move. The doctors were speechless from what they saw, and I got out of bed and walked after a year and a half of paralysis. I crossed myself and, filled with joy, said to the doctor: “See? I told you I’ll get better.” And he answered me: “Your faith saved you.”
Today is August 15, 2004, my health is excellent, and I am glad that after so many difficulties, as well as mental and physical trials, I was honored to visit Vatopedi to venerate the Honorable Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos.
I pray that his Grace will help and illuminate the whole world.”
Best regards, Nikolai Yiannopoulos

My panagia, if you want, create a miracle!
20-11-2004, Edessa
“I want to tell you about a miracle that happened during the arrival and presence of the Precious Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos in the city of Edessa.
For over ten years I was tormented by a health problem that doctors call “arteriovenous malformation of the carotid artery.” As a result of the disease, the veins expanded and protruded on the right side of the face. This is how a tumor measuring 10 cm was formed. Doctors called this disease unique in world medical practice and said that no one at least here in Greece - I wouldn’t undertake to treat her. I recently found a hospital in America that deals with this problem, but it is very expensive.
And so, when they brought the Honest Belt, I went to venerate it with the faith that was in my soul. As soon as I bent over the Honest Belt, I said to myself: “Most Holy Theotokos, if you want, perform a miracle and help me.” I kissed and touched the Belt with a sore spot. And then I defended the rest of the Hierarchal Liturgy.
And at some point I felt cramps on the right side of my face. This was the first time I had experienced this, and it was so pleasant that I prayed that the cramps would continue, and this may seem like an exaggeration, but I felt that I liked what was happening to me. My first thought was: “Did Panagia really hear my prayer?” After which I immediately felt a pleasant relaxation in the part of my face where the tumor was, which had never happened before.
Already at home I received confirmation of the amazing change that had happened to me. For the first time in three years, there was no tumor pressing on my right eye. My eye, which had always been closed, opened. The swelling decreased and I was able to speak better as my jaw curvature decreased too. At the same time, the node that was located on the carotid artery disappeared.
I told my wife and she also confirmed that there had been significant changes. We thanked the Most Holy Theotokos and talked about the miracle that happened.
The next day I went to Church again and bowed to the Belt of Grace. I told one priest about the miracle that had happened. What was surprising to me was that the entire time I was talking with the priest, I was crying. I cried like a little child. I've never felt this way before. I had heard about miracles, but I did not attach any importance to them, but now I myself have experienced one of them.
When I met my doctor friend, he immediately noticed the difference. And of course, I asked him: “Is it possible for a tumor that is constantly growing to suddenly shrink by at least a few centimeters?” He answered in the negative, without hiding his amazement. As a doctor, he gave me his assessment. He said: “The body can give a signal for blood clots to form in the problem area.” But when I explained everything to him, he couldn’t say anything.
I continued to go to Church every day to venerate the Honest Belt. Now, as I write this letter to you, the tumor has shrunk even more. I don’t know how things will develop further. However, what I experienced was a miracle for me, and I will always repeat this, glorifying the Grace of the Holy Belt.
The changes were not only in my illness, I changed as a person. I felt the touch of the hands of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Great is Her Grace."
Best regards, Simeon and Sofia Spatinis

Miraculous Events
“From November 12 to 16, 2004, the Venerable Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary was brought to the city of Edessa for veneration and consecration. The entire city and authorities warmly accepted the Holy Belt. Over 40,000 people came to worship this blessed shrine. We became eyewitnesses and witnesses of the miracles that the Most Holy Theotokos performed for pilgrims. Let us especially note what attracted our attention.
Mrs. Dorothea Armenaki, a resident of Edessa, had problems with her lower back and was bedridden for almost a year. When she learned that the Holy Belt was in Edessa, she asked that the belt consecrated on it be brought to her, and, having received it, she tied it around her lower back. And the miracle happened. The former paralytic got up and walked. Of course, she went to the Temple and venerated the Mother of God shrine, then she went to the metropolis, where she told the abbot of Vatopedi, Archimandrite Ephraim, about the miraculous event that had occurred.
Mr. Simeon Slatinis, a resident of Edessa, had a malignant tumor on his cheek. The size of the tumor did not allow me to open my eyes.
He also came to venerate the Honest Belt. When he came home, his wife noticed that it seemed to her that his eye had opened slightly. Then he realized that the tumor had decreased in volume and thanks to this the eye opened slightly. The other tumor under my jaw also disappeared. He himself talks about this miracle in a letter.
Mr. Demosthenes Papantoniou, a resident of Edessa, had a granddaughter Maria, who from infancy could not fall asleep on her own, and if she did fall asleep, her sleep was so restless that her parents no longer knew what to do. Her grandfather brought her to the temple and asked the priests to help. The priests baptized the child with the Holy Belt. From that moment on, she falls asleep on her own and sleeps peacefully throughout the night.”
Archimandrite Panteleimon Karalazos,
Priest of the Edessa Metropolis

I came to you, don't be afraid
Samou 4, Kaimakli, Nicosia
Egli Macri writes in her letter that after she had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from her breast, she returned home while awaiting final test results from England.
“On April 21, I was discharged from the hospital; on the 24th, my in-laws came to me and brought me a belt from the Holy Belt of the Virgin Mary, which I tied around my belt. In the evening, in a dream, I saw that a thin woman with a long, beautiful, pretty face was standing on the threshold of the kitchen. She had a white scarf on her head. I greeted her, thinking she was my neighbor. And she asked: “How are you?” She answered me: “I came to you, don’t be afraid, you will get better.” Then she turned and slowly walked out.
I woke up the next morning thinking about this woman. I immediately realized that it was the Mother of God Herself.
When I went to the oncologist, he told me that the lymph nodes were clear, the tumor was malignant, but it was a curable cancer because I did not have metastases. He told me that I shouldn't be afraid.
Since the day when I saw the Mother of God in a dream, I feel strong, I am not afraid, and my loneliness does not bother me. I feel that She is always next to me. And every day I praise Her name."
Thank you very much, Egli Macri

Miraculous help of the Mother of God to non-Orthodox
After their dormition, the saints enter into God's glory and bliss, become true children of the Lord and become universal in the likeness of the universal Christ. They embrace with their love and bless all people, especially the unfortunate and suffering on earth. They receive the grace to intervene life-savingly in people's lives, healing them and performing miracles. Therefore, in our prayers we call upon their help and mediation. Since all people are potentially children of God, and the saints, having great love for God, contain in their hearts all humanity, all people, they work miracles and also heal non-Orthodox people.
Thus, St. George the Victorious in the monastery of St. George Kuduna, which is located on the island of Prinkiponis, performs many miracles with Muslims who ask him for help. And how the Lady Theotokos, the Mother of the new creation, “worldwide glory and worldwide joy,” cannot help but create a miracle. She sends her miraculous energy to everyone who prays to Her with faith and pain!
The main prerequisite for the healing of the human soul, its cleansing from passions, enlightenment and deification is the Grace of Orthodox baptism. It must be emphasized that deification, that is, the sanctification of a person, is possible only in the bosom of the Orthodox Church. However, the body can also be healed in a non-Orthodox person. The archives of the monastery contain records describing cases when the Sultan himself asked the Honest Belt for healing from any disease or to rid the area of ​​an epidemic. And the Mother of God performed miracles. The miracles of the Honorable Belt of the post-Byzantine period will be described in the book of Constantine Singelis, which the monastery is now preparing for publication under the title “Veneration of the Honorable Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Byzantine world and its miracles in the post-Byzantine period.”

Charlie, a Canadian by birth, a member of the crew of the Greek yacht "Rio Rita", which sails to Saint Athos every year with official delegations, on one of these visits to the Vatopedi Monastery, on May 10, 2004, learned about the wonders of the Honest Belt during an excursion and told the monk guide about his problem. For ten years of married life, he and his wife Nicoleta, despite all their efforts, were unable to conceive a child. The monk at first doubted whether to give Charlie the belt consecrated on the Honest Belt, because he was a Catholic, but in the end he took pity on him and entrusted this matter to the maternal care of the Mother of God.
The following year, when Charlie visited the monastery again, he joyfully informed his friend the monk about the miraculous intervention of the Mother of God and warmly thanked her for giving him a lovely daughter, Frieda (Fridericke).

All test results are completely normal
552-36 district Panorama of Thessaloniki
“Since the beginning of August 2007, our seven-year-old son Georgiy Papistas began to complain of discomfort in the abdominal area, accompanied by a general malaise. At first we all thought it was a simple viral infection, and since we were on summer vacation in Chalkidiki, the doctors prescribed him painkillers and antibiotics, not considering his condition serious.
On August 7, his health deteriorated sharply, and he was urgently sent to Thessaloniki. Based on a referral from our family doctor, the child was urgently admitted to the St. Luke's Clinic for examination. At the clinic, doctors diagnosed abdominal peritonitis and sent him for urgent surgery. I, the father, was returning by ferry from the Vatopedi Monastery at that moment when my wife called me and informed me about the serious condition of the child. I immediately contacted my confessor, Elder Ephraim, and asked him to serve a prayer service to the Mother of God for the successful outcome of the operation.
The elder immediately contacted our family doctor by phone and asked him about the child’s condition. Having learned the medical history from him, he asked the doctor not to put the child into surgery, but to wait for the results of all the tests. In fact, when the results came, it became clear that this was not peritonitis, but juvenile diabetes of the first degree - that is, complete damage to the pancreas, which at any moment could put the patient into a coma.
The first great miracle was that the child was not put into surgery, since due to high blood sugar it could cause irreparable consequences. All went well, and St. Luke's doctors decided that the child should take 52 units of insulin daily for the rest of his life.
Then we decided to go to England to the Cromwell Clinic so that the child could be examined by one of the best endocrinologists in Europe, hoping for the best. In England, a doctor gave us the same diagnosis - first-degree diabetes, and said that the child has self-immunity - that is, the body itself produces antibodies that attack the pancreas. Be that as it may, trouble had already happened, since an ultrasound done in England showed that the pancreas was severely damaged and was smaller than its natural size.
We returned to Greece on August 16, and on August 17 the latest test results arrived, which showed that the child does not have self-immunity and that he falls under 1% of cases when damage to the pancreas is caused by other reasons. After that, we decided to go to Boston for further testing at the Joslin Clinic, the best clinic in the field of juvenile diabetes. In this clinic, the diagnoses of Greek and London doctors were only confirmed. The doctors assured us that no one in their practice had ever been cured of such an illness, except for one case with a child from Brazil, and they convinced us to come to terms with and accept reality as it is.
In early September, we returned and awaited the results of other tests on the child's likelihood of having adrenal cancer. This scared us even more, and we began to do a whole bunch of tests. On September 8, 2007, we contacted Elder Ephraim and reported to him about the child’s condition. Father Ephraim asked us to bring him a child to Athos for the holiday of the Honest Belt.
My son and I actually went to the Vatopedi Monastery. Seven-year-old George dutifully and patiently sat through the 11-hour service (6 hours of all-night vigil and 5 hours of morning Divine Liturgy), never complaining even once, although he could have gone to bed. That same evening, the elder took George to the sacred Altar and read the prayer of the Holy Belt over him. After half an hour the child was tired. During his stay on Mount Athos, he experienced hypoglycemia crises and had to stop taking insulin. But the next day the child recovered.
On the day of the Feast of the Holy Cross 09/14/2007 (Old Art. – prot. K. Parkhomenko) George had an ultrasound of the pancreas, and it turned out that the size and volume of the gland were normal, and the secretion of insulin was even greater than normal. The tests also showed an excellent state of cell function, contrary to the doctors’ assumptions.
4 months have already passed, and today all of George’s indicators are completely natural.
Our family experienced a great miracle. This serious case of George was recorded in all major hospitals in Greece and abroad. The grace of the Holy Belt of the Mother of God healed George, and now he lives an ordinary healthy life, like the other four children of our family.
We thank the Mother of God and all the fathers of the Monastery for their fervent prayers throughout our son’s illness.”
With great respect, Afanasy, Lukia and George Papistas

Young George Papistas, described in the last story

People's faith in the Almighty is so great that it gives strength to overcome the most incredible obstacles and heals from any ailment. After all, there is nothing in this world that would be inaccessible to our God. Of course, not all Orthodox Christians have the kind of faith that would support them and give them strength in different life circumstances. That is why we have been given shrines, and by venerating them with prayer and sincere request, we can see a real miracle with our own eyes. One of these wonderful things is the Belt of the Virgin Mary.

This shrine visited Moscow only once, but made a lot of noise. According to some reports, during a month of stay in Russia, about three million believers venerated the Belt. Even more Orthodox Christians were unable to get into the churches where the shrine was located. Today our article is devoted to the stay of the Belt of the Virgin Mary in Moscow, as well as a story about the shrine itself and its particles, which are located in various churches in the capital.

Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary: what is it

Much less is known about this relic than about other Christian shrines. It is known that the Belt belonged to the Mother of God when she was carrying her son, Jesus Christ. Therefore, it has great healing power and helps to cope with various women's problems.

It is noteworthy that until the ninth century, Christians did not mention in any sources the Belt of the Virgin Mary, which was considered lost. Only later did information appear about its miraculous power, and it turned into a revered shrine in Constantinople.

In the calendar of Orthodox holidays there is even a special day dedicated to this relic. The holiday is celebrated on August 31st.

Finding the Belt of the Virgin Mary

The first written sources mentioning this shrine appeared in Constantinople. They were written by different authors at approximately the same time.

One of them said that the Belt was kept in a small temple built in the city of Zila. Here the relic lay forgotten by everyone until it was transported to Constantinople. A separate chapel was built for her, and a little later a canon of a holiday dedicated to the shrine arose.

According to another version, the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary was kept in Jerusalem, from where it was transported to Constantinople around the fifth century. They put it in the ark and practically forgot about the relic for four hundred years. During this period, Emperor Leo sat on the throne, his beloved wife suffered from mental illness. Many doctors considered her possessed and threw up their hands when the emperor asked about the possibility of her healing. But one day the sick woman herself saw in a dream how a relic hidden in the ark completely healed her of her illness. The Emperor immediately ordered the Belt of the Virgin Mary to be taken out and unrolled it over his wife’s head. Immediately the demons left the woman, and the shrine took its rightful place in the temple of Constantinople. From that time on, the clergy marked a special day in the calendar when a holiday was solemnly celebrated in honor of the amazing and miraculous relic.

Fall of Constantinople

After the city was sacked and partially destroyed, the trace of the Belt of the Virgin Mary was lost for some time. From time to time information came about his whereabouts in certain temple complexes.

At the moment, there are eleven temples where particles of the Belt of the Virgin Mary are kept. In Moscow, such a place also exists, although many believers do not even suspect it.

Temple of the Prophet Elijah

If you, like many other pilgrims, were unable to venerate the Belt of the Virgin Mary in Moscow in 2011, then do not despair. Of course, this shrine, first brought from Mount Athos, is of great importance in the eyes of believers. But in fact, pieces of it have long been stored in the Temple of the Prophet Elijah in Moscow. The belt of the Virgin Mary did not get there by accident, but let’s talk about everything in order.

One of the most revered temples in the capital was built at the end of the sixteenth century. Surprisingly, it was erected in just one day. That’s why they called it “Ordinary”; the lanes closest to the structure received the same name.

Initially, the temple was wooden, and only at the beginning of the eighteenth century did it acquire the outlines familiar to our contemporaries. It is noteworthy that even during the years of Soviet power, divine services were held here, and in the most turbulent times there was a religious procession to the temple.

At the moment, about seventy-three shrines are kept in this church, among them is a piece of the Belt of the Virgin. It came to Moscow during the tsarist regime and is kept in a reliquary at the chapel of Peter and Paul. Some believers, in order to have a memory of this shrine at home, purchase a small icon of the Mother of God and place it on the relic when visiting the temple. It is not known whether such an icon can work miracles, but many Orthodox believers talk about healing and help in business after praying to the Blessed Virgin at home.

How does the Belt of the Virgin Mary help?

There are always a lot of women among the pilgrims to this shrine, and there is a simple explanation for this - the Belt especially helps to get pregnant, carry and give birth to a healthy baby. Therefore, every woman who dreams of adding to her family can come and venerate the relic. There is numerous evidence that the Belt of the Virgin Mary even helps to cure infertility at all its stages. The shrine also promotes successful delivery of a child during a difficult pregnancy or, for example, entanglement in the umbilical cord and malpresentation of the fetus.

Despite the fact that a piece of the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been in Moscow for more than a hundred years, many Orthodox believers dream of venerating the relic, which is kept on Mount Athos. However, such an opportunity, unfortunately, is provided extremely rarely. If you are interested in when the Belt of the Virgin Mary was brought to Moscow, then we hasten to disappoint you - this was the only time in modern history, in 2011. The grandiose event is worth telling separately.

The path from Mount Athos to Russia

The relic left Greece for the first time; monks from Mount Athos accompanied it on the journey. It is noteworthy that not a single woman can set foot on the land of Athos - this is strictly prohibited. Therefore, it was difficult to even imagine that the Belt would ever be

In which temple was the relic kept all these years on Mount Athos? She was located in what is known as Vatopedi. It is considered the second most important among and is also the richest and most ancient.

Where has the shrine been?

The Belt of the Virgin Mary traveled across Russia for thirty-nine days on a special plane. Monks from Athos accompanied him everywhere; they managed to visit fourteen cities and one monastery.

The route was designed in a special way. It formed an Orthodox cross, and the last point was the Russian capital.

Belt of the Virgin Mary in Moscow: in which temple it was located

In 2011, an event took place that is still remembered by all Orthodox Christians in Russia. For the first time in the history of the location of the shrine on Mount Athos, the Belt of the Virgin Mary came to our country. In Moscow, in which church was it placed? This question is irrelevant for Christians in the capital. They all know that the shrine was in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior for several days, where queues of many kilometers lined up.

Within a few days, many people managed to visit the relic, but even more believers could not even get close to the walls of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. To this day, people remember that it was possible to get inside only in one case - by standing in line for fifteen to twenty hours in the cold. After all, the shrine arrived in the capital at the end of November.

In order for as many people as possible to touch the Belt of the Mother of God, the clergy changed the order of approach to the relic. You had to touch her not with your lips, but with your hand. This allowed the line to move as quickly as possible. At the same time, pilgrims passed notes to the temple servant, which indicated the names of loved ones. Later these names were listed during church services.

Will the Belt of the Virgin Mary ever be brought to Russia from Athos again? Nobody knows. But miracles still happen, so you shouldn’t stop praying for them.

On the day of the celebration of the Position of the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary, September 13, there is a special celebration in the Conception Monastery. A festive Liturgy and religious procession through the monastery take place. In the monastery, this holiday is especially revered, because in the monastery there is an embroidered belt, consecrated on the ark with the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Holy Vatopedi monastery.

Many pilgrims, awaiting the mercies of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos, flock to the monastery to pray, among other shrines, at the Belt of the Blessed Virgin. Among the pilgrims there are especially many married couples who suffer from childlessness. They offer prayers before the miraculous image of the Mother of God “Merciful”, the revered ancient image of the Conception of St. Righteous Anna, and reverently venerate the reliquary with the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos. For the blessing in the cathedral of the Conception Monastery, they are given a belt, consecrated in the Vatopedi monastery on the ark with the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary. These belts regularly arrive at the Conception Monastery from Athos. If childless parents cannot come to Moscow, to the Conception Mill, they write a request for prayer and they are sent a belt by mail. Many of those who pray with faith and zeal, try to change their lives, by faith receive what they ask for and become happy parents. We introduce you to the miracles that occurred in the Conception Monastery through the prayers of people to the Most Holy Theotokos in the hope of the miraculous power of Her Honorable Belt.

Miracles of the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Ekaterina (Karelia): “Hello! Miracle! I am pregnant! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" (letter January 20, 2015, belt sent in August 2014)

Elena: “I received the belt, and exactly two weeks later we found out that we were expecting a baby! We had a beautiful daughter in December!” (letter dated March 19, 2015, belt sent in March 2014)

Lyudmila (Moscow): “I didn’t believe that miracles could happen. I hoped that at least with medical help everything would work out. But the miracle that happened turned my life upside down” (letter May 6, 2015, received the belt in the cathedral at the end of February 2015)

Olga (Voronezh): “I didn’t even have time to wear it - I found out that I was pregnant!” (letter dated May 7, 2015)

Nina (Kazan): “Hello, dear sisters! Thank you for your prayers. Exactly six months after praying for the gift of a child, I became pregnant. The pregnancy was difficult, but with God's help it ended successfully. We have a daughter."

Olga (Barnaul): “It’s been almost a year since I received an expensive gift from you, the consecrated belt of the Most Holy Theotokos. Dear sisters, that same month I became pregnant, and on April 24 of this year my son Leonid was born. I want to sincerely thank you for your kindness and prayers. I wore the belt without taking it off throughout my pregnancy and prayed to Mother Queen of Heaven for intercession. Thank you for praying for me. I will always be grateful to you and will pray for you” (letter dated May 26, 2015).

Ekaterina (Nizhny Novgorod): “I am very grateful to you for the consecrated belt, without taking it off, I ask God and the Mother of God to give us a child. My husband and I went to Diveevo and started fasting. Two months later I found out that I was pregnant! Thanks a lot! I believe that everything will be fine!” (letter dated July 28, 2015)

Roman (Samara): “We received the belt today, thank you very much! After we wrote a letter asking to send a belt, after a while a miracle happened: my wife finally became pregnant. We believe that the Queen of Heaven will help us give birth to a healthy baby. Thank you for helping people. God bless you!" (letter dated June 14, 2015, belt sent in May 2015)

Olga (Ryazan): “Hello, dear sisters! I am writing to you with great gratitude for the belt of the Virgin Mary! My husband and I succeeded. I got pregnant, I wear the belt almost without taking it off! Thank you very much, this is such happiness!” (letter dated June 11, 2015, belt sent in September 2014)

Lyudmila (Sevastopol): “Good morning to you!<…>. And I hasten to tell you the good news: I’m pregnant, we’re expecting a baby! Thank you for your help and blessings, prayers and faith! Now I will wear a belt, maybe there will be less toxicosis. With gratitude and love, Evgeniy and Lyudmila! We hope that with the baby we will be able to visit the Conception Monastery in person.” (letter dated June 9, 2015, belt sent in May 2015).

Elena (Krasnodar region, asked for a belt for a friend): “Dear sisters! I hasten to express my gratitude to you! Today I received the belt of the Virgin Mary! Thanks a lot! But even more joyful news came a week ago: my friend found out that she was expecting a baby! Without IVF, without any interventions! God sent them a miracle! I still don't believe this luck! Thank you for your prayers and all you do!” (letter dated June 10, 2015)

Daria (St. Petersburg): “Thank you very much for the belt! I received a letter from him at the beginning of June and already at the end of June I found out that I was pregnant! This is just a miracle! I wear a belt and pray<…>. Thank you for your quick response and help!” (letter dated July 8, 2015, belt sent in June 2015)

Anastasia (Petrozavodsk): “Thank you for the belt, I received it today.<…>Thanks to your prayers, God helped us conceive. I am pregnant!" (letter dated August 7, 2015, belt sent in July 2015)

Lyudmila (Saratov): “Dear sisters! Thank you so much for your help, we will finally have our third baby at the beginning of September!” (letter dated August 26, 2015, the belt was sent in July 2014 after receiving the letter: “Dear sisters! My husband and I have two children: they are sixteen and eight years old, but we really want a third baby. After the illnesses and treatments I have suffered, it is not possible get pregnant. I really believe in the power of the belt, please help!”)

Elena (Amur region): “Hello! I'm due to give birth in just a few days. Please pray for the safe birth of God's servant Elena. The most important thing is that everything is fine with the child, so that a healthy baby is born. Thank you!" (letter dated August 26, 2015, belt sent in July 2014)

On August 31 (September 13, new style), the last day of the church year, the Feast of the Placing of the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated.

The Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary was one of the three main shrines of Constantinople, associated with the earthly life of the Mother of God; In addition to the Belt, the Robe (more precisely, maforium) of the Virgin Mary and the icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria, painted, according to legend, by the Evangelist Luke were kept in Constantinople (see the newest article dedicated to the Mother of God shrines of Constantinople: Wortley J. The Marian Relics at Constantinople // Greek, Roman & Byzantine Studies. Durham (NC), 2005. Vol. 45:2. P. 171-187).

It was the possession of these three shrines that was one of the main reasons for considering Constantinople the city of the Mother of God - the expression Your city, Mother of God, found in many, many Byzantine chants (and, including, in the chants of the holiday of the Placing of the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary), for the Byzantines it was synonymous with the word Constantinople.

According to the legend reflected in the Menology of Basil II (10th century; see: PG. 117. Col. 613), the Belt and Robe of the Mother of God, shortly before Her Dormition, were given to two pious Jerusalem widows and then passed on from generation to generation. Under the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire Arcadia (emperor from 395; d. 408), the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary was taken to Constantinople and placed in a beautiful casket, which found its place in one of the three main Mother of God churches of Constantinople - the Chalcopratian Church (some sources speak of the Belt being found not in this, but in the Blachernae Temple - probably this is a consequence of confusion - the Blachernae Church was the storage place for the Robe of the Mother of God; it is quite possible, however, that the shrines could have been moved from one temple to another). For centuries, the casket with the Belt of the Mother of God was not opened, but five centuries after the Placing of the Belt in the Chalcopratian Temple, under Emperor Leo VI the Wise, his wife Zoe Carbonopsina had a vision that she would get rid of her illness (as Menologius narrates, the empress was tormented by an evil spirit) , if the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary is placed on her. The Emperor opened the casket and found the Belt safe and sound; The belt was sealed with the golden chrisovul of Emperor Arcadius, on which the year and indictment of the Position of the Belt in Constantinople were indicated, as well as the exact date of this event - August 31. By order of the emperor, the Belt of the Blessed Virgin was placed on the head of the suffering empress (this was entrusted to Euthymius, the future Patriarch of Constantinople, who composed the Word in honor of the triumph of the new acquisition of the Belt), and she was healed. After these events, the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos was returned to its place, and the Feast of the Position of the Belt received even greater solemnity than before.

As a result of the two falls of Constantinople - first in 1204, then, finally, in 1453 - the Belt, like almost all other shrines of Constantinople, left the city, but did not disappear without a trace. Parts of the Belt are still kept on Mount Athos (in the Vatopedi monastery) and in Cyprus (in the Trooditissa monastery); they became famous for many miracles. The belts consecrated on parts of the Belt of the Mother of God are distributed to believers to wear; Many women who had one or another infirmity, thanks to the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, received healing from them.

The date of the celebration of the Position of the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary is deeply symbolic. This holiday is a continuation of the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary - it is not only dedicated to the Mother of God, but the very event of the giving of the Belt occurred in connection with the Dormition. In the practice of Athos monasteries, this connection is even more obvious - on Athos the post-feast of the Dormition continues until the day of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, but after this day and its one-day after-feast the celebration of the Position of the Belt takes place (see: Svyatogorsk Charter of Church Followership. Sergiev Posad; Athos, 2002. pp. 133-135).

Thus, the church year begins with the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8 (September 21 of the New Art), a week after the church new year) and ends with the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the associated holiday of the Position of Her Honorable Belt. This is also stated in the troparion of the Feast of the Position of the Belt: Ever-Virgin Mother of God, the Veil of men, the Robe and Belt of Your most pure body, the sovereign taxation of Your city, You bestowed upon Your seedless Nativity, incorruptible: through You, for even nature is renewed, and time. We also pray to You, grant peace to Your city, and great mercy to our souls

The annual cycle of church holidays again and again reminds us of the events thanks to which the salvation of man became possible, and such its beginning and end clearly indicate the humble feat of the One who was chosen to become the Mother of Christ; The one between Christmas and the Dormition Which came summer is favorable the economy of salvation completed by the Lord Jesus Christ; The One in Whose Intercession all Orthodox Christians trust.

Deacon Mikhail Zheltov

History of the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The entire life of Orthodox Christians passes under the gracious Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, who through her virginity and motherhood served the cause of human salvation. The Church has clearly established the importance of the Mother of God for the cause of our salvation in its calendar, establishing in the year five great feasts of the Mother of God (Christmas, Intercession, Introduction, Annunciation, Dormition), as well as holidays in honor of the miraculous icons of the Most Pure Virgin and events associated with Her special intercession for the Christian race.

The church year begins and ends with holidays dedicated to the Virgin Mary: the Church celebrates Her Nativity at the beginning of the year (September 8/21), and the Assumption at the end (August 15/28). But few people probably know that the very last day of the church year - August 31 (September 13) - is also dedicated to the Mother of God. On this day the Church celebrates the Position of the Venerable Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Ancient Constantinople had three shrines that made it possible to consider it the city of the Mother of God: in the Odigion monastery the icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria, painted by the Evangelist Luke, was kept; The Robe of the Virgin Mary is in Blachernae and the Belt of the Virgin Mary is in Chalcopratia.

Ark with the belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Pieces of the Robe of the Virgin Mary were brought to Rus' twice - in the 14th and 17th centuries - and are still preserved in the Russian Church as great shrines. Over time, Russia also appeared in Rus' with its own miraculous icons of Hodegetria (for example, Smolensk). Therefore, it is not surprising that in Russia, holidays and churches are better known in honor of the Placing of the Venerable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae (or the Placing of the Robe, celebrated on July 2/15) and the miraculous icons of the Theotokos.

The third great shrine of Constantinople and the entire Orthodox Church - the Belt of the Virgin Mary - is in Russia for the first time.

According to the legend reflected in the Minology of the Byzantine Emperor Basil II (958–1025), the Belt and Robe (maforium) of the Mother of God, shortly before Her Dormition, were given to two pious Jerusalem widows and were preserved in Palestine from generation to generation. Under the Eastern Roman Emperor Arcadia (395–408), the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a precious ark was transferred to Constantinople and solemnly installed in a church located in Chalcopratia (“Copper Market”), the city’s craft district. The belt in the ark was sealed with the golden chrisovul (seal) of Emperor Arcadius, on which the year and indict of the Position of the Belt in Constantinople and the exact date of this event were indicated - August 31 (according to the Julian calendar).

Since the 5th century, the Robe of the Virgin Mary has been kept in another very revered temple located in Blachernae, a northwestern suburb of Constantinople on the shores of the Golden Horn Bay. Both temples were built for these shrines by the daughter of Emperor Arcadius, the holy and blessed queen Pulcheria (399–453).

The historian Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopoulos writes that St. Pulcheria in Chalcopratia in honor of the Virgin Mary “established night prayers and a procession every Wednesday, which she led, walking on foot with a burning lamp, which she fueled.” In the next century, Patriarch Timothy I (511–518) decided to carry out a procession in praise of the Mother of God every Friday from the Blachernae Church to the Chalcopratian Church. These special services were established in the likeness of a procession from St. Zion to Gethsemane for the Feast of the Assumption in Jerusalem.

Position of the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Chalcopratia

Probably in connection with liturgical processions from one temple to another or due to the division of the Belt into parts, some historical sources report that the Belt of the Virgin Mary was also kept in the Blachernae Church along with Her Robe. This is mentioned by St. Andrew of Crete (8th century), Patriarch Euthymius (907–912), Nikephoros Callistus (14th century). All Russian pilgrims who visited the Church of the Virgin Mary in Blachernae in the late Byzantine period report that they worshiped the “Robe and Belt” of the Mother of God there.

This circumstance is captured in the Orthodox iconography of the holiday, sometimes combining two events: the position in Blachernae of both the Belt and the Robe of the Mother of God. The famous icon from Dionysius’s workshop is “The Position of the Belt and Robe of the Mother of God” (c. 1485). However, there are also icons depicting the position of the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Chalcopratia. On some icons it is clearly visible that it is the Belt, and not the Robe, that is used.

Although the holiday in honor of the Position of the Belt of the Mother of God in Chalcopratia existed since ancient times and in the 9th century the famous Byzantine hymnographer St. Joseph the Studite wrote a beautiful canon for him with an acrostic poem: “Gird me with Thy strength, O Pure Virgin.” The ark with the Belt of the Mother of God was not opened for centuries.

However, it so happened that the wife of Emperor Leo VI the Wise (886–912), Zoya Karbonopsina (“Coal-Eyed”), became seriously ill. For a long time she suffered from an illness for which medical remedies did not help. As Minologius says, the empress was tormented by an unclean spirit.

Emmanuel Tzanes. Miracle of the Holy Belt

“For this reason,” says St. Dmitry of Rostov in Chetya-Minea for August 31, - the king and his relatives were very saddened; and everyone began to send fervent prayers to the Lord for the suffering queen. After this, Queen Zoya had a Divine vision, signifying that she would receive healing if the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos was placed on her. The queen told her husband, King Leo, about this vision. Immediately the king begged the Patriarch to open the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos: the seal was opened and the ark was opened; and the honest Belt of the Most Holy Mother of God turned out to be intact, not at all damaged by time; everyone kissed him with reverence. And as soon as the Patriarch spread it over the queen, she was immediately freed from demonic torment and received complete healing from her illness.

Then everyone joyfully glorified Christ God and His Most Pure Mother and, having sung songs of gratitude, again placed the Honorable Belt in the same golden ark, sealing it with the royal seal...”

This event is reflected in iconography.

St. Euthymius, the emperor’s confessor and Patriarch of Constantinople (907–912), composed the Sermon “in honor of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, in remembrance of the miracle that happened from Her Honorable Belt, by grace, mercy and love for mankind, Christ our God was born from Her,” and the celebration itself in honor of his position in Chalcopratia acquired even greater solemnity. After the death of her husband, Emperor Leo (912), and his brother-co-ruler Alexander (913), Zoya Carbonopsina for some time served as regent for her young son Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (905–959). But in 919, power in the empire was seized by Romanos I Lekapin, who married Constantine to his daughter Helen, and removed Zoya to Petriy, where she took monastic vows at the monastery of St. Euphemia. History has preserved for us her image on Byzantine coins of that time.

In the 10th century, the Belt of the Virgin Mary was divided into parts, which eventually ended up in Bulgaria, Georgia (Zugdidi) and Cyprus (Trooditissa Monastery). In 1028, the Byzantine emperor Romanos III Argi?r (Argyro?pulo) (1028–1034), after the war and the conclusion of peace with Georgia, sealed a political alliance with it by marrying his niece Helen to the Georgian king Bagrat IV Kuropalat (1027–1072). Elena, who at one time received healing from the Belt of the Virgin Mary, with the permission of the emperor, brought part of it with her to a distant country. It is known that at the beginning of the 19th century, the ruler of Megrelia Nino, the daughter of the Georgian king George XII, after accepting Russian citizenship, sent the shrine as a gift to the Russian Emperor Alexander I, but he, having decorated the ark with precious stones, returned it and ordered the construction of a stone church in Zugdidi for storage of relics. And to this day this shrine is kept in the Cathedral of the Blachernae Icon of the Mother of God in a precious icon case.

The Byzantine emperors took part of the belt with them on military campaigns, in one of which the Bulgarians recaptured the shrine from the Byzantines. Later the Serbian prince St. Great Martyr Lazar I Khlebelianovich (1372–1389), who died in the battle with the Turks on the Kosovo field, benefactor of many churches and monasteries in Serbia and on Mount Athos (Serbian Hilandar, Russian Panteleimonov, Lavra of St. Athanasius) donated this part of the Belt, once lost to the Greeks, to the Athos Vatopedi monastery

In the Vatopedi Monastery, the Belt was divided into two more parts. One of them was placed in the cross, the other in the ark and during epidemics they were taken out to the people, and the sufferers received healing from him. The belt of the Virgin Mary became famous for many miracles.

Currently, the Vatopedi monks make small belts, consecrate them on the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary and distribute them to believers. It is known that thanks to the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, these belts help in healing cancer and other patients, as well as infertility in women. The monks hand out a kind of reminder to believers on how to use the blessed belts. It says that “the patient girds himself with this belt for some time, living in repentance, confessing and partaking of the Holy Mysteries. Spouses do the same, adding to this, if possible, fasting and marital abstinence while wearing the belt.” It is noted that “spiritual life in repentance and constant participation in the Sacraments of the Church must, of course, continue throughout life, since it is the only way of our communication and unity with God.”

http://www.cnsr.ru/

Your God-receiving womb, the Mother of God, your generous belt, your honorable belt, the invincible power of your flock, and the treasure of good things is endless, the only one who gave birth to the Ever-Virgin.