Celebration of the Most Holy Mother of God in honor of the appearance of Her most venerable and miraculous icon, called the Tolga

Memory 8 August In the year 6822 from the creation of the world [From the Nativity of Christ 1314] during the Kiev and all-Russian metropolitan Peter [St. Peter lived from 1308 to 1325 in Vladimir, from 1325 to 1326 in Moscow.

His memory 21 December.] under the benevolent Yaroslavl prince David Feodorovich bishop of Rostov and Yaroslavl Prohor, <unk> according to other news, <unk> Trifon, <unk> bypassing his diocese, arrived in the Kirill-Belozer monastery; from here he continued the way by water on boats, <unk> first along the tributary of the Volga Sheksna, and then along the Volga itself to Yaroslavl.

When the travelers were six furlongs from Yaroslavl, the day began to turn toward evening; then they landed for the night on a mountain that stood on the other side of the Volga, where the city was; climbing the mountain, they broke up the tent.

During the night, the bishop woke up at midnight and noticed some light; he quickly got up and looked out of the tent and found all his companions, <unk> priests, clerics, servants and even guards, sleeping; meanwhile a great light illuminated the whole area.

Turning to the river, the bishop saw on the opposite bank an extremely bright, unusually shining pillar, and a bridge leading to it across the Volga; this mysterious phenomenon aroused in the bishop surprise mixed with horror.

However, after praying to God, he took his bishop's staff, went out of the tent and, without waking anyone, headed for the river and climbed a bridge that he could see: in fact, the bishop was walking on the water like a tree, <unk> there had never been a bridge in this place, but, by God's command, the water, having hardened, formed as it were a bridge under his feet.

On reaching the opposite shore, the bishop saw the image of the Most Holy Mother of God holding the Child, our Lord Jesus Christ; the image was not on a tree, but miraculously held in the air at a height of five cubits, so that it could not be reached from the ground with hands.

The bishop, worshipping the icon of the Mother of God, sent the Lord of Peace warm prayers, combined with tears; after a rather long prayer he returned, forgetting his staff at this place. After crossing the same river bridge, the bishop returned to his tent, and since everyone was asleep, his journey could not be known to anyone; until the morning the bishop slept peacefully.

When it was time to go to the boats, the servants began to search for the staff of the saint, but all the searches were in vain.

The bishop remembered that he had forgotten his staff on the other side of the river, and realized that the Lord wished to make known the mentioned miraculous phenomenon; being unable to utter words from tears, he began to point his finger over the Volga; then, barely speaking from excitement, the saint told in order how he reached the opposite bank of the Volga and what he saw there; then he ordered to go in the direction indicated to him over the Volga and take the staff there.

The servants went and, while searching for the staff, found in the forest an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but no longer in the air, but standing between the trees on the ground, near which lay the staff.

Then the bishop, having postponed the journey to Yaroslavl for a while, crossed the Volga with all his men; seeing the icon of the Most Holy Mother of God, he immediately recognized the image that was held in the air at night, surrounded by a bright light in the form of a pillar.

And all those present could not hold back their tears of joy and, worshipping the image, also prayed fervently to the Mother of God. This miraculous appearance of the icon of the Most Holy Mother of God took place on August 8, when the memory of St. Emilian, bishop of Kyzygy, is honored.

St. Prochorus, without hesitation, immediately began to clean the place where the holy icon appeared with his own hands, cut down the forest and prepare trees for the construction of the church; his example was eagerly followed by those who were with him; on the same day they laid the foundation of a small church and by noon finished its construction.

The news of the miraculous event reached Yaroslavl, and many people rushed to the place where the bishop was; among those who came were clerics and laymen, old and young, rich and poor, healthy and sick.

When it was finished, the bishop consecrated it and brought the miraculous image into the church that evening; then, after performing a service in the newly built temple, the saint called it in the name of the Honorable Introduction of the Most Holy Mother of God and established a celebration of the appearance of Her image on the eighth day of August.

Then the bishop ordered the monastery to be at the church and the same day appointed him an abbot. From that time on, a monastery was built on the site of the miraculous appearance of the image, first quite insignificant, and then, with the expansion of its glory, it increased in size.

Since the appearance of the miraculous image of the Most Holy Mother of God, many miracles have begun to be performed, of which we will mention here only some of the most outstanding.

When the priest proclaimed in the morning after the ninth song: "We will glorify the Goddess and the Mother of Light with songs!" suddenly from the right hand of the Blessed Mother of God leaked the peace, and the church was filled with a wonderful fragrance; all those present in the temple at the sight of this miracle could not help but be amazed and terrified, glorifying at the same time God and His Pure Mother.

After the morning began to perform a prayer to the Most Holy Mother of God, and at the end of it during the singing of "Lord, accept the prayer of Your servants" from the left foot of the Most Holy Child, held by the Mother of God in her hands, the peace passed; thus, the eyes of the believers, who were at that time in the temple, presented two springs, from the right hand of the Most Holy Mother of God and the left foot of Christ, miraculously emanating peace from one icon.

This amazing miracle could not but excite spiritual joy in the abbot and the brothers: they knelt before the Most Holy Mother of God with tears and anointed their foreheads with peace, which had great healing power: whoever was sick, whatever his disease, was immediately healed.

Some time after this miraculous event, a boyar named Nikita was sent by the Grand Duke of Moscow to the Belorussian Territory: when he arrived in Yaroslavl with his wife and servants, he got into a boat to continue the further journey up the river.

This boyar had an only son, still a little boy, <unk> he was not more than four years old, <unk> and on the way he fell ill and died, and his dead were taken to the Tolga Monastery of the Most Holy Mother of God to be buried here.

And they bound up the body, and prepared the coffin, and the things that were needed for the burial. And the time passed from one o'clock to ten o'clock in the evening, and when the funeral music began, the boy suddenly came to life, and shouted. And they were all terrified and rejoiced, and the parents were exceedingly glad. And they did not know how to thank the Lord and his holy mother, seeing their son alive and well.

<unk> One day, by the will of God, a great fire broke out in the monastery, and the church caught fire so quickly that the brethren could not open the doors of the church or even take anything out of the temple; the whole church burned with all that was in it.

But after the fire, they suddenly found a sacred icon in a grove near the monastery, completely undamaged and surrounded by light: of course, not human, but only angelic hands could have taken the sacred icon from the great flame.

The grace of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Blessed Virgin Mary continues to work miracles, as from the source of her holy icon, healing diseases and driving out evil spirits.

These miracles are described in detail in the monastery itself; we, however, having set forth only a few, and even briefly, <unk> for a more detailed narrative time would not suffice, <unk> praise God and His Most Holy Virgin Mary; render due worship and honor to Her honorable icon, which all Christian generations should venerate always, now and forever.