Theotokos Protection (Panagia Skepi) – Serigraph on Naturally Aged Wood – Mount Athos

Magnificent serigraph of the Holy Protection, crafted on naturally aged wood.

The Feast of the Holy Protection (October 28) is one of the three ecclesiastical celebrations honoring the vestments of the Theotokos. The other two are the Feast of the Precious Robe (July 2) and the Feast of the Precious Girdle (August 31).

The feast of the Holy Protection is associated with the vision of the Virgin Mary in the Church of Blachernae in Constantinople, during the reign of Emperor Leo VI the Wise (886-911).

According to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared in the Church of Blachernae during an all-night vigil before Saint Andrew the Fool for Christ (May 28) and his follower Epiphanius. She was accompanied by a multitude of saints who sang hymns, and was supported by Saint John the Baptist. After kneeling and praying, the Virgin Mary removed her veil from her head, spread it as a Protection over the people, and then, after putting it back on, left the church with her entourage.

This event spread quickly throughout Constantinople, at a time when the city was under threat from the Saracens (the Byzantine term for Arabs), filling the inhabitants with courage and hope. Once the danger passed, the salvation of the City was attributed to the intervention of the Virgin Mary, and the Church established the event as a feast in her honor, to be celebrated on October 1.

On October 17, 1952, the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, at the proposal of Archbishop Spyridon, decided to move the feast of the Holy Protection from October 1 to October 28, making it the religious basis for the “OHI” Day, the anniversary when Greece celebrates its liberation from the Italian-German occupation.