The feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God is one of the great feasts of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Sergiyevsky skete of the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery celebrates its patronal feast on this day. Just recently, on October 1, 2020, His Eminence Metropolitan Georgiy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas consecrated the altar of the southern side chapel of the Church to the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God.

Traditionaly, the patronal feast’s services are the Lesser Vespers with the akathist, Vigil, prayer canon the Most Holy Mother of God with the blessing of water prayer service and Divine liturgy followed by the procession with the cross around the church. Hegumenia Sergiya took part in the festive services.

On the feast day, the vigil service and the late-morning Divine Liturgy were served at the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery’s Trinity Cathedral. An early-morning liturgy was served at the Transfiguration Cathedral.

A miraculous appearance of the Mother of God occurred in the mid-tenth century in Constantinople, in the Blachernae church where Her robe, veil, and part of Her belt were preserved. On Sunday, October 1, during the All Night Vigil, the Fool-for-Christ Saint Andrew with his disciple Epiphanius beheld the most Holy Mother of God coming through the air from the Royal Gates. The Mother of God was resplendent with heavenly light and surrounded by an assembly of the Saints. At first, She tearfully prayed for Christians later taking Her veil and spreading it over the people praying in church, protecting them from enemies both visible and invisible.

In the ancient Rus, this feast was commonly accepted as the Protection of the Mother of God over all Russian lands.

On the feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God, we also commemorate Venerable Romanos the Melodist. He is a patron saint of singers. Special prayers were lifted up for the choir singing sisters of the Diveyevo monastery.