On August 31 (September 13), the Orthodox Church commemorates an event that happened twice:
The day when the belt of the Mother of God was placed with solemnity and honor in the temple.
Tradition tells us that the apostle Thomas did not have time for the funeral of the Virgin Mary. He wanted to say good-bye to her and asked her to roll off the stone. Like Jesus, the tomb was empty. And St. Thomas had a vision: The Virgin ascends to heaven. He pleaded with his hands, and his belt fell into them. Mary weaved it herself. It was a simple camel wool belt, but for the early Christians it was a wonderful relic. For a long time the belt was kept in Palestine, and during the reign of the emperor Arcadius it was brought to Constantinople (4th century).
There he was placed in a casket of gold, decorated with precious stones. The casket was sealed with the imperial seal and installed in the altar of the Church of the Most Holy Virgin.
A few centuries later, in the 9th century, another emperor, Leo, asked the patriarch to open the casket. His seriously ill wife, Empress Zoe, had a vision that the belt of the Blessed Virgin would help her heal. The casket was opened, made sure that time did not affect its contents. The belt was attached to the Empress, and she recovered. In gratitude, Zoya personally embroidered the relic with gold threads. He was again placed in a casket and sealed with the imperial seal. This time the casket was placed in the Vlachern temple. And the honor of these two events established a holiday that we celebrate on September 13.
As a result of wars, conquests, destruction and common thefts, parts of the belt ended up in different cities and countries. In Georgia, a part of it is stored in a specially built temple, in Moscow — in the temple of Ilia the Common, in St. Petersburg — in the Kazan Cathedral.
Parts of the belt can be found in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Cyprus and Mount Athos.
Days of celebration
13 September
Charity foundHoly Land.
Soul investment!
