Celebration: February 26
The history of the Dolis Icon of the Mother of God is shrouded in mystery both in time and place of its appearance. In this icon, the Mother of God is depicted holding the Baby Jesus in her left hand. The Baby’s face is turned in the opposite direction, and not to the Mother of God. However, the book “New Sky” provides an amazing story about the origin of this image. The story goes that in the French land, on a site called “Dolis”, there is a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, made of stone. At one point, two people started making fun of the image. One of them even became so bold that he decided to throw it at the stone statue of the Virgin. His audacity led him to grab a rock and throw it at the icon. A strong blow of the stone broke off the arm of the depicted Baby. The broken arm fell to the ground, and instantly blood began to flow from the Baby’s shoulder, just as it would have from a living person. The act of the one who threw the stone did not go unpunished: he instantly fell to the ground and died. Another person who tried to help him also passed away the next day. This story serves as a reminder of the shrine and how generosity and reverence are important in handling religious symbols.
