Mother of God icon to be shown locally

The 'wonder-working' icon has been presented in many states over several months.
CAMPBELL -- The Sitka Icon of the Mother of God, one of the most revered icons in Orthodox Christianity, will be shown for public veneration during services planned at 5 p.m. Nov. 5 and 10 a.m. Nov. 6 at St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church, 305 Struthers-Liberty Road.
The icon, which is housed at the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel in Sika, Alaska, has been featured in a pilgrimage of the lower 48 states for several months.
Bishop Nikolai of Sitka presented the pilgrimage proposal to Metropolitan Herman and members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America in 2004. This summer, the icon was featured at numerous parishes and communities in Alaska before being shown nationwide.
During the services, clergy from Alaska will lead prayers before the Sitka Icon and share historic and modern accounts of life in Alaska, where Orthodox Christianity was introduced in the 1700s.
History
The icon, which survived a fire at the cathedral that destroyed the church, has been called a "wonder-working icon." Miracles and restorations of health have been attributed to the Sitka Icon. It was a part of the main Iconostatis at the cathedral, but now is located to the left side of the Iconostatis in a place of honor.
The Sitka Icon was presented to St. Michael Cathedral in 1850. It was bought by contributions from laborers with the Russian American Co. in Alaska.
The icon is believed to be the work of iconographer, Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky (1758-1826), an artist of the imperial court of Catherine the Great. He also is responsible for the icons in the Cathedral of Kazan in St. Petersburg.
Painted in the style of the Kazan Mother of God Icon, the Sitka Mother of God Icon measures 36-by-171/2-inches. A detail of silver covers the Icon of the Theotokos and Christ Child and the image of God the Father blessing from above.