Days of celebration: January 24
Information about this icon is limited to the fact that it was located in the city of Yelets, Orel province. The chronicles also recorded the year of its appearance — 1060, which coincides with the year of the appearance of the Yelets-Chernihiv icon. Researchers suggest that the Yelets icon is a late list (copy) of the Yelets-Chernihiv icon. In addition to the image of the Mother of God with the baby, there is also another type of Yelets icon — the Rostov one. This icon depicts the appearance of the Queen of Heaven to Tamerlane before his march on Moscow, which took place in 1395 in the city of Yelets. According to legend, while resting on Argamach Mountain, Tamerlane had a vision of the Mother of God with a host of saints. On the same day, August 26, residents of Moscow met the miraculous Vladimir icon of the Mother of God and prayed in front of it for salvation from the upcoming invasion. Being alarmed by this vision, Tamerlane exclaimed: “So, we will not overcome the Russian land!” and turned his horde back. In memory of this wonderful event, the Yeletskaya icon was created, and a local celebration was established on the day of September 8 (August 26, old style). The church-wide celebration falls on January 24 (January 11, old style).
