Belarusian heritage: сopy of Kalozha icon returns to Grodno

The historical copy of the unique Kalozha Icon of the Mother of God made in the early 20th century returned to Grodno one century on, head of the Kalozha Church Archpriest Alexander Bolonnikov told reporters in a special press briefing. The only known historical copy of the icon that went missing more than 100 years ago was accidentally discovered in one of the antique auctions in Germany at the end of 2018.

The miraculous Kalozha Icon of the Mother of God was made, according to some sources, in the 16th century. For many centuries it was the main shrine of the Grodno land. It was kept in the church till its collapse in 1853. The icon is believed to be miracle working as it helped many people to recover. One of the biggest wonders attributed to the icon was the saving of Grodno from the destruction by the Kaiser troops in 1914. After a prayer for the salvation of the city the enemy who was virtually at the gate of the city retreated. In 1915, the icon was evacuated. According to one version, it was taken to the St Nicholas Ugresha Monastery in the suburbs of Moscow. Since then its whereabouts have remained unknown.

The 12th century Sts Boris and Gleb Kalozha Church is one of Belarus' oldest functioning churches. A large-scale conservation project was completed in late 2018. The project was financed from the president's fund to support culture and arts, the regional budget, and sponsor's funds. A new part of the icon-stand was carved out of oak. The same material is used to make the case for the copy of the Kalozha Icon of the Mother of God. The church plans to hold a solemn liturgy and a ceremony to install the historical copy of the icon in its permanent place on 1 May. This date is expected to become the day of celebration of the Kalozha Icon of the Mother of God. Pictured is head of the Kalozha Church Archpriest Alexander Bolonnikov and the historical copy of the Kalozha Icon of the Mother of God.