Celebration: February 28
The appearance of the Viennese Icon in Ugra in 1570 suggests that it probably came from Western Europe, since the name of the icon itself suggests its Western origin. But there are some aspects that raise doubts about this assumption. The very image of the Mother of God on the Vienna icon is made in the Orthodox-Eastern style, not in the Western style, and it strongly resembles the St. Elijah icon of the Virgin, information about which is given under March 10 in the annals. This contradiction can be deceptive at first glance. However, it should not be forgotten that Vienna and Hungary historically had a significant number of Orthodox Christians. It was from among them that the Viennese icon could pass to Russia, even after the separation of the Western and Eastern Churches. According to some legends, the holy icon of the Mother of God “Viennese in Ugra” did not come to Russia directly from Hungary, but through the Holy Mount Athos, where it was located in the monastery of St. Dionysius for some time. She was later returned to Mount Athos from Russia.
