--- An initiative of the Mary of Nazareth Association March 14 – Virgin of Saint Theodore (Russia) Just before the Russian Revolution of 1917 [Wikimedia image] The Church of the Resurrection is an Orthodox edifice in the city of Kostroma on the Volga, Russia. The first building dates from the 13th century, but in the 17th century, according to tradition, a large church was erected on the request of a wealthy merchant who had ordered 10 tons of dyes from England but instead received barrels of gold. The merchant considered this mysterious gold as not honestly earned, an evil gift sent by the devil, and decided to spend it on building a magnificent cathedral housing the most precious relic of the city: a Byzantine icon called Our Lady of Saint Theodore, or Our Lady of Kostroma. It is said that just before the revolutionary events of 1917 in Russia, the icon darkened to the point that the image became virtually invisible. This was interpreted as a bad omen for the Romanov dynasty. Besides the monasteries, most of the churches in the city were transformed or demolished during the Soviet era. The only church to have survived is the Church of the Resurrection, home of the icon of Our Lady of Kostroma. The Mary of Nazareth Team Source: Eglise Syro-Orthodoxe en France www.mariedenazareth.com Let’s pray together  Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.