Today is Zhyrovichi Mother of God icon's celebration day

Today is the day to celebrate one of the principal relics of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Mother of God of Zhyrovichi"s icon.The image is among the 100 most celebrated in the world. It is revered both by the Eastern Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches. The icon is believed to be able to work miracles. According to a legend, the acheiropaeic image was reveled to people twice. First time, in the late 15th century as a stone on a regular pear tree. To celebrate the miracle a local landowner built a temple. When this wooden church burned down, the icon re-appeared. After that a stone church was built, and the boulder with the miraculous image was placed in its altar. Originally, the temple in Zhirovichi belonged to the Greek Catholics, now it is in Eastern Orthodox Church"s possession. It is said that during the WWII the Zhirovichi Mother of God helped the local monastery escape destruction.