Where the icon of the Theotokos Ktitorissa or Vimatarissa is located
The miraculous icon of the Theotokos Ktitorissa or Vimatarissa is the protective icon of the Holy Great Monastery of Vatopedi. To this day, it resides in the synthronon of the Sanctuary of the monastery’s catholicon.
How the icon of the Virgin Mary Ktitorissa was discovered
According to Orthodox tradition, the holy icon of the Theotokos Ktitorissa was discovered by Arcadius, the son of Theodosius the Great. During a sea voyage, Arcadius was shipwrecked, but with the help of the Virgin Mary, he made his way to shore and found refuge under a bush to be saved.
The area, where Arcadius was shipwrecked, was the peninsula of Athos. The place where he landed would later become the site where the Monastery of Vatopedi would be built. It was precisely there that he found the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary Ktitorissa.
The miracle of the holy Icon of the Theotokos Vimatarissa
The holy icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is associated with many miracles. One of the first miracles occurred in the 10th century when Arab pirates attacked the monastery. At that time, Hierodeacon Savvas, who was responsible for the monastery's holy relics and treasures, immediately rushed to protect the icon of the Theotokos and threw it into the water well of the Sanctuary.
Along with the icon, he placed the cross of Saint Constantine the Great and a lit candle that burned in front of the holy icon in the same spot. However, he could not escape himself from the pirates, who captured him and sold him in Crete island.
Approximately seventy years later, Crete was liberated from the pirates during the reign of Emperor Nikephoros Phokas. At the same time, Saint Savvas was also set free and, though very old by then, managed to return to the monastery.
Under his directions to the abbot of the monastery, Nicholas, the water well was reopened and something miraculous happened! The holy icon of the Theotokos Vimatarissa was found intact along with the cross, standing upright on the water!
Find here: Icons with the Theotokos Vimatarissa.
The double miracle through the Divine Providence of the Theotokos
At the same time, the candle was burning just as it had when Saint Savvas had left it seventy years ago. By the Divine Providence of the Ever-Virgin Mary, everything remained intact and unaltered, exactly as it had been back then.
To this day, in remembrance of the miracle, a Canon of request is chanted to the Most Holy Theotokos every Monday afternoon, and a Divine Liturgy is celebrated every Tuesday. Additionally, during all the litanies of the monastery, the icon of the Theotokos Vimatarissa precedes.
Why the icon of the Theotokos is called Ktitorissa
The name "Ktitorissa" is attributed to the discovery of the holy icon, which is associated with the restoration of the Monastery of Vatopedi by the three brothers and founders, Athanasios, Nicholas, and Antonios. They inhabited the monastery until the end of the 10th century.
Find here the article: Holy Great Monastery of Vatopedi: the Athoniada Academy and the miraculous icons of the Virgin Mary
When the feast of the Virgin Mary Ktitorissa is celebrated
The feast of the Theotokos Ktitorissa or Vimatarissa is especially celebrated on the Tuesday of Easter Week, during which a great litany is held around the monastery in honor of the icon.
