Valaam Icon of the Mother of God
People pray before this icon for strength in faith and love, peace, relief in sorrow and help in illness. The Valaam icon was painted in 1878 by Hieromonk Alipy and became widely venerated after it was rediscovered in 1897 and the pilgrim Natalia Andreeva was healed.
The history of the Valaam Icon
Hieromonk Alipy painted the icon at Valaam in 1878. It was later placed in a storeroom of the Church of Saint Nicholas on Valaam, where it remained for about twenty years.
In 1897 the icon was rediscovered after its location was revealed to the pilgrim Natalia Andreeva. Through prayer before the image, she was healed of a longstanding illness of her legs, and veneration of the icon spread.
In 1940 the brotherhood brought the wonderworking image to New Valaam Monastery in Finland. A venerated copy remains on Valaam. Its feast is celebrated on the first Sunday after the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul.