Icon of the Mother of God of Tolga
The Tolga
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared on August 8, 1314 to the Rostov
hierarch Prochorus (Tryphon in schema). Going about his diocese, the
saint visited the environs of White Lake and from there traveled along
the banks of the Rivers Sheksna and Volga, to Yaroslavl. Having stopped
with the approach of night 7 versts distant from Yaroslavl, at the right
bank of the Volga River there flows opposite into it the River Tolga.
At
midnight, when everyone was asleep, the saint awoke and saw a bright
light illuminating the area. The light proceeded from a fiery column on
the other bank of the river, to which there stretched a bridge. Taking
up his staff, the saint went across to the other bank, and having
approached the fiery column, he beheld on it the icon of the Most Holy
Theotokos, suspended in the air. Astonished at the miracle, the saint
prayed for a long time, and when he went back, he forgot to take his
staff.
The next day, after serving Matins, when St Prochorus was
preparing to continue his journey by boat, they began to search for his
staff, but they were not able to find it anywhere. The saint then
remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the
river, where he had gone across on the miraculous bridge. He then
revealed what had occurred, and sent servants across on a boat to the
other shore. They came back and reported that in the forest they had
seen an icon of the Mother of God suspended in the branches of a tree,
next to his bishop’s staff.
The saint quickly crossed over with
all his retinue to the opposite shore, and he recognized the icon that
had appeared to him. Then after fervent prayer before the icon, they
cleared the forest at that place, and put down the foundations of a
church. When the people of Yaroslavl learned of this, they came out to
the indicated spot. By midday the church was already built, and in the
evening the saint consecrated it in honor of the Entrance into the
Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, and having installed the icon there
he established a Feast on the day of its appearance. St Prochorus later
built the Tolga monastery near this church. St Prochorus died on
September 7, 1328.
The Tolga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on August 8.