Festal Service to the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, called Portaitissa
At Small Vespers, at “Lord, I have cried”, the stichera, Tone 1:
Come, all ye faithful, let us magnify the Lady Theotokos, the protectress of our race; let us stand about her precious icon, kiss it with love and sing: Rejoice, all-holy Virgin; rejoice, Mother of God Most High; rejoice, Deliverer and Protectress of our souls; rejoice, O Mount Athos, the glory of the Lord hath shone forth upon thee, for a radiant star hath come from the east to the west: upon a pillar of fire the icon of the Mother of God appeared to us, which by its coming made Athos bright as the dawn.
As once to Moses on Sinai there appeared the bush, blazing with fire yet kept unharmed, so too this all-immaculate icon is clothed in fire and remaineth unburnt, and sanctifieth those who behold it with faith.
Thou who didst give thy much-honoured icon to Iviron, leave not comfortless the dwellers of thy lot either, O Virgin; and until the time cometh, in its stead we kiss its wondrous copies, glorified by thy protection.
Come, ye Georgian people, let us draw that unfailing grace from the icon of the Mother of God that shineth like fire, and let us delight in it with faith and love; for it is given with glory to our people as a wall and a guard, and becometh our protectress against enemies visible and invisible.
Glory… Both now… Tone 5:
Come with joy and let us worship the wonderworking and all-precious icon of the Mother of God, which was given to the monastery of Iviron as an unsleeping and invincible guardian; for with its protection it guardeth this holy monastery and all who dwell on Athos, and bestoweth an abundant gift from the fountain of unfailing grace upon all who honour this wondrous icon. Wherefore we sing to the Theotokos: Rejoice, Helper of the world and Consoler of our souls.
“O Gladsome Light”. Without the entrance.
Prokeimenon: Our God is in heaven and on earth; He hath done whatsoever He willed;
and “Vouchsafe, O Lord”;
O undefiled dwelling of the all-holy Light, O Theotokos, we thy servants magnify thee and sing thy praise, for by the manifestation of thine all-holy icon thou cleansest us;
Verse: Arise, O Lord, into Thy rest; Thou, and the ark of Thy holiness.
Glory to Thee, O Christ the King, glory to Thy great mercy toward us, for Thou hast bestowed upon us the icon of Thy all-holy Mother, which granteth us the stream of its unfailing grace.
Verse: The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David, and He will not set it at nought.
O right-believing people, let us rejoice today and keep radiant festival for the mysterious coming of the icon of the Mother of God; and, since we confess her in faith as our guardian, let us cry out to the Theotokos: Shelter us from every evil and save our souls.
Glory… Both now…
Let us draw near to the calm haven and protectress of our people, the Virgin Mary; let us venerate her image, honoured by the angels, and with compunction cry aloud: Look, O compassionate Mother, upon the grievous sorrows that beset us, and heal the infirmities of our souls.
The insolence of the haters of the Lord's icon and the tyranny of the impious and godless settled mercilessly in Nicaea, and they came to torment a widow who piously venerated the icon of the Theotokos; but she with her son committed that icon to the sea and cried thus: Glory to thee, O holy one! The tossing sea became thy helper; glory to thy procession, O incorrupt one.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
From thy holy icon, O Lady Theotokos, health and healings are abundantly given to all who flee to it with faith and love; wherefore look also upon my infirmity and have mercy on my soul, O good one, and heal my body by thy grace, O all-holy one.
Both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Thy glorious and all-holy icon was given to us by providence, O incorrupt one, as a pledge of our deliverance; and when the monastery of the Iberians gained it as a treasure, it was delivered by thee from all harm, and with it, O Virgin, all who come to thee are filled with unfailing hope.
The Little Litany and the Dismissal.
We sing “Blessed is the man”, the first antiphon.
At “Lord, I have cried”
the stichera on 8, Tone 5:
Shine forth, O Mount Athos; rejoice and be glad, O monastery of Iviron, for lo, the wondrous icon of the Mother of God cometh, guided by angels over the sea, gleaming with light ineffable, driving away the darkness of troubles and sorrows, and enlightening all with the radiance of its mercy.
We fall down before thee, O Lady, we monks and companies of fasters, and beholding thy holy icon with love we cry to thee: Come to us, O good Mother, have mercy on them that honour thee, and grant us thy holy icon as a pledge of mercy and salvation.
O most glorious wonder! As once on Sinai Moses beheld the bush blazing with fire and kept unharmed, so now this icon of the Mother of God is clothed in fire and abideth unburnt; and us who sit in darkness it enlighteneth, and keepeth unharmed from afflictions and sorrows.
O Virgin Theotokos, mighty Helper, now the monastery of Iviron boasteth and rejoiceth in thee, for it hath thee as an intercessor who never putteth to shame, an indestructible wall, an unshakeable foundation and an unsleeping guardian; wherefore cease not, O Lady, by thine entreaties ever to deliver this thy monastery and all the people from the incursions of the enemy.
Grant hope to thy servants who are in temptations, and exalt the horn of the faithful, O Theotokos; by thine entreaties deliver this monastery and all the cities and villages of Georgia, strengthen in their ministry all the orders of priests and monastics, and be the protectress of all thy faithful servants who praise thee.
Thine all-holy icon, O Virgin Theotokos, is the healing of all the world; drawing near to it and worshipping thee with fear and faith, O immaculate one, we kiss thine image, and draw forth the grace of healings, and are set free from infirmities of soul and body.
Now the monastery of Iviron, clothed in light, is adorned today on the feast of thine appearing, and shineth brighter than the light of the sun by the grace of the Holy Spirit, and becometh as a fountain of immortality for the sick and infirm, and a bestower of countless mercies upon all.
Glory… Both now… Tone 8:
O good Mother, O Lady Theotokos and Virgin, cast us not away, thy lowly servants, who bring unworthy supplications before thine all-holy icon; be for us sinners a fervent intercessor with thy Son, deliver us from all afflictions and temptations, that we may ever sing to thee with joy: Rejoice, good Keeper of the Gate, who openest the doors of paradise to the faithful.
1. The reading from Genesis, chapter 28 (10–17)
And Jacob went forth from the well of the oath, and departed into Charrhan. And came to a certain place and slept there, for the sun had gone down; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it at his head, and lay down to sleep in that place, and dreamed, and behold a ladder fixed on the earth, whose top reached to heaven, and the angels of God ascended and descended on it. And the Lord stood upon it, and said, I am the God of thy father Abraam, and the God of Isaac; fear not, the land on which thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the sand of the earth; and it shall spread abroad to the sea, and the south, and the north, and to the east; and in thee and in thy seed shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed. And behold I am with thee to preserve thee continually in all the way wherein thou shalt go; and I will bring thee back to this land; for I will not desert thee, until I have done all that I have said to thee. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and said, The Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How fearful is this place! this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
2. The reading from Exodus, chapter 3 (1–5)
And Moses was feeding the flock of Jothor his father-in-law, the priest of Madiam; and he brought the sheep nigh to the wilderness, and came to the mount of Choreb. And an angel of the Lord appeared to him in flaming fire out of the bush, and he sees that the bush burns with fire,—but the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will go near and see this great sight, why the bush is not consumed. And when the Lord saw that he drew nigh to see, the Lord called him out of the bush, saying, Moses, Moses; and he said, What is it? And he said, Draw not nigh hither: loose thy sandals from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
3. The reading from Exodus, chapter 13 (18–22)
And God led the people round by the way to the wilderness, to the Red Sea: and in the fifth generation the children of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had solemnly adjured the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones hence with you. And the children of Israel departed from Socchoth, and encamped in Othom by the wilderness. And God led them, in the day by a pillar of cloud, to show them the way, and in the night by a pillar of fire. And the pillar of cloud failed not by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, before all the people.
Come, ye lovers of the feast and companies of fasters, gathered here in faith! Let us offer hymns of praise to the Virgin Mary, for today is the radiant feast of the appearing of her precious icon, the “Portaitissa”; and let us, standing about it with fear and love, sing to the Theotokos: Rejoice, joy ineffable for all; rejoice, thou who by thy holy icon enlightenest us all; rejoice, boast and stronghold of all; rejoice, saviour of our souls.
What shall we call thee, O Virgin Theotokos? A pillar of fire, for thou guidest us to the eternal dwelling; or a wall of strength, for thou guardest us, the Orthodox; or an unsleeping guardian, for thou keepest and savest this monastery? Wherefore, delivered from the troubles that come upon us, we sing to thee, O Lady: Rejoice, Bestower of graces; rejoice, Hope of Christians.
Glory… Both now…
Rejoice, O Mount Athos; be glad, O monastery of Iviron; keep festival, O land of the Georgians; for the Mother of God hath visited us in mercy and given us her wonderworking icon, a helper in afflictions, a consolation in sorrows, a healer in sicknesses and a deliverer from passions; and she bestoweth great mercy upon us all.
Today we glorify the appearing of thy glorious icon, O immaculate Theotokos, and we celebrate thine intercession; for thou, the Mother of Life, entreatest Christ the King for us who have set our firm hope on thee, O true Guide of our life.
Verse: I will make mention of thy name in every generation and generation.
Let us put away sorrow, O ye faithful, for behold, a second bush aflame with fire — the icon of the Mother of God, which the monks of Athos behold — now appeareth for the cleansing of sinners.
Verse: Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thine ear.
As a sign of thy guidance appear to us in a pillar of fire, O Mother of the Light, as we walk this way of salvation, that, having fled the pathless wastes of error, we may be led by thee to the eternal dwellings.
Glory… Both now…
Come, all ye monks and laymen too, let us magnify the all-immaculate Virgin Theotokos; for the icon, sailing unshaken upon the waves and clothed in a pillar of fire, passed from Nicaea to Athos by the sea of Pontus, and by its coming bestowed its grace upon the faithful; and let us also, enlightened by the radiance of her mercy, call blessed the intercessor of our life.
After the first kathisma, the sessional hymn, Tone 1:
The appearing of thine all-radiant image spreadeth joy upon all the faithful, and granteth to the monastery of Iviron an unsleeping guardian and deliverer from troubles; wherefore we sing to thee, O all-holy one: Ever shelter us with thy protection. Glory… Both now…
This is the day of the Lord: rejoice, O ye peoples! For lo, a cloud clothed in light was wondrously spread out in the heavens and appeared to Athos as a pillar of fire — she who alone beareth in her motherly arms the Only One, Christ, the Creator of the world, as the Saviour of our souls.
After the second kathisma, the sessional hymn, Tone 3:
Today the flocks of Athos rejoice radiantly; they weave many hymns, honouring the all-immaculate one with love, and they are adorned with the glory from on high given them by the coming of the holy icon, which by the dawn of the knowledge of God enlighteneth those who piously sing its praise.
Glory… Both now…
A glorious wonder is beheld today: how in the waters the icon of the divine Child appeareth ablaze with fire, and spreadeth abroad the sign of its radiance, and wondrously adorneth the struggle of the fasters; wherefore we too sing with thanksgiving: Rejoice, thou who art full of grace.
Who shall recount thy mighty deeds, O Theotokos? For by the appearing of thine icon thou hast filled all the Orthodox with wonder, since thou healest a multitude of infirmities and drivest away sicknesses. O all-merciful Lady, deprive us not of thy help, but shelter us by thine entreaties, and save our right-believing people, and keep the Christ-loving army by thy power, that we who boast in thee and have set all our hope on thee may never be put to shame.
Glory… Both now… The same.
We magnify thee, O all-holy Virgin, Maiden chosen of God, and we honour thy holy icon, through which thou pourest forth healing upon all who flee to thee with faith.
(Thrice).
After Psalm 50, the sticheron after the Gospel.
When the appearing of thy wondrous icon came to pass, the fathers of Athos, beholding the pillar of fire in the sea, were amazed with fear; but Gabriel, as a second Peter, walked upon the waters and with tears cried out to thee: O all-holy one, come and shelter thine inheritance from enemies, keeping it unharmed.
Irmos: The wonder-working rod of Moses of old, striking in the form of the Cross and dividing the Red Sea, drowned Pharaoh the charioteer and saved Israel, who fled across on foot singing a song to the Lord, for He hath been gloriously glorified.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
O all-immaculate one, accept from my defiled lips this praise, as once thy Son, my God and Lord, accepted the widow's two mites; and grant me deliverance from my sins, that I may ever magnify thee, O Virgin.
Most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, keep and shelter us.
The hymn of the angels is fitting for thee, O Mother of God, for thou thyself didst wondrously bear their Creator; yet accept from us also, O Lady, this lowly supplication, that we may sing to the King: Gloriously art Thou glorified in our infirmities.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
The divine fire that goeth forth from thine icon, O Mother of God, burneth the camp of the iconoclasts, and poureth upon the faithful the sweet light of victories and strengtheneth us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The waters grew calm, and the billows of the sea were stilled, on which thine icon was borne, O Theotokos; establish also my shaken heart upon the rock of the commandments of Christ.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thou wast a helper and protectress, O Virgin, to the monastery of Iviron, when thou didst drown in the sea the warriors of the emir together with their ships; now also drown in the abyss of thy Son's mercy all my passions and my countless transgressions.
Irmos: O Lord, who didst fix the vault of heaven and art the Builder of the Church, establish us in Thy love, Thou summit of all joy and strength of the faithful, who alone lovest mankind.
Most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, keep and shelter us.
Behold, the most beautiful likeness of the Keeper of the Gate came from Athos to Tbilisi and was enthroned with great honour in the church of the Theotokos, the glorious Sioni, as a help in afflictions, a consolation in sorrows, a healing of sicknesses and a deliverance from passions.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
Establish my heart in hope in thee, O Mother of God; remove all insolence and pride from my darkened mind, that I may sing to thee: There is none holy as the Lord, and none righteous beyond our God.
Most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, keep and shelter us.
The image of thine all-holy and incorrupt face is the healing of the whole world; drawing near to it and bowing down to thee with reverence, O all-immaculate one, we are filled with the grace of healings and set free from infirmities.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Raise me, O Lady, from the earth, wretched as I am; remove me, a poor man, from the corruption of sin, and grant prayer to him that prayeth, that I may call blessed thy help, O Virgin Portaitissa.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Make fruitful my barren mind, O blessed Virgin born of the barren, for thou makest every man yet more fruitful in good through the sending of thine icon.
Today the radiant feast of our protectress is come; all the Orthodox rejoice and the gatherings of men make merry, for our holy Theotokos calleth us to behold her fire-bright icon, which enlighteneth all with the radiance of mercy; and rejoicing in this we cry: Deliver from famine, fire, sword and afflictions, O Lady, those who honour the appearing of thine icon.
Glory…
The monastery of Iviron rejoiced on the feast of thine appearing, for such a sign was shown to help, out of love for the people who fell to thy lot, when thine icon, radiant as the dawn and guided over the sea by angels, came to no other monastery but deigned to dwell in that of the Iberians, by the hand of Gabriel the Georgian, and thereby thou didst bless that newly built monastery of the Georgians in the wilderness of Athos.
Both now…
A fervent intercessor, a great refuge, a firm protectress, a fellow-champion and overseer art thou, O Portaitissa, to them that seek thy help; wherefore deliver them from every snare, as thou hast promised thy servants, O all-immaculate one.
Irmos: Thou art my God, O Christ, Thou art my strength, Thou art my Lord and the boast of my life, who didst not leave the bosom of the Father in heaven and didst appear to my lowliness; therefore with the prophet Habakkuk let us say: Glory to Thy power, O Lover of mankind.
Most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, keep and shelter us.
As the ways of thy wonderworking icon were made ready, the deep uttered its voice, the sun was moved, and the brightness of the icon became as light; now do thou also, O Lady, come for the salvation of men and appear as the saviour of thine inheritance.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
When the monks heard the tidings of thy coming they were struck with awe, and when they understood thy works they marvelled; remember in mercy my troubled soul also, O Lady, that I may sing to thee: Glory to thy help, O Mother of God.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
Willing to give grace to our people, thou hast shown us thine image again, and, drawing near to it, we bow down before thy likeness and entreat thee: come now and gather together our scattered lands, and show us a border undisputed by all men.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As the flocks of the abode of the Iberians were adorned by the grace of thine icon, so also our people is enlightened by thy grace more than by the light of the sun, for this wondrous copy of the icon becometh as a fountain of immortality for the sick and infirm and a giver of great mercies to all.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thou art my strength and my power, O Theotokos, for in the day of my sorrow I shall find rest through thee, and through thee I shall be lifted up from this world into the heavenly inheritance and rejoice with the King and God, my Deliverer.
Irmos: Why hast Thou cast me away from Thy face, O Light that never setteth, and why hath the impenetrable darkness covered me? But look upon me and direct my ways to the light of Thy commandments, I pray Thee.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
Behold, O holy one, thy people, thy flock, who have risen early from the night and stand about thy renowned icon, asking for the forgiveness of sins and communion in divine glory; cast us not away from thy face, O Mother of the Unwaning Light.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
Look now, O sweet Mother of Christ the King, upon the people chosen by thee, and be pleased to make us flourish and multiply and to fill us with the spirit of wisdom, of mutual love and of divine understanding.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
United wholly in soul and mind with thy flock, with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs we venerate thy divine icon and ask for forgiveness and the salvation of our souls; and do thou, O Lady, Bride unwedded, as our Physician, grant us all these things.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thy temple, O Virgin, now standeth forth as another paradise, for as the tree of life it hath the icon of thy beauty, which we all kiss with longing, reverence and love, and say: O Lady, grant us peace and shelter us, for we know no other consoler but thee.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
As a river of sweetness, a fullness of the stream, a manna from heaven, an abundance and a grace ever springing forth have we who dwell in this monastery gained thee, O Maiden, and we sing of thy childbearing.
Irmos: I will pour out my prayer unto the Lord, and to Him will I declare my sorrows; for my soul is filled with evils, and my life hath drawn nigh unto hades; and like Jonah I cry: Bring me up, O my God.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
Hasten to help us, O holy and ineffable Mother of the Son of God, and until the end of the age keep Iberia and the people of Iberia, that our countless enemies may not say: Where is the Theotokos, in whom they hope?
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
We have unfailing faith in thee, O Virgin, Keeper of the Gate, and we entreat thee: give us the hand of help and keep the land which thou didst choose and deliver from the bondage of the demons and from idolatry, that our enemies may be put to shame.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
The abyss of unworthy transgressions hath encompassed me, and my soul is drowning; but give me, O Lady, thy mighty arm, and as thou didst Gabriel, so keep me also unharmed, who flee to thine icon.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Cast me not utterly away from thy face, O Mother of the Deliverer, and leave me not to sink in the abyss of iniquity, but lead me up out of the mire of the passions, that my life may be removed from corruption, and I may offer thee praise and thanksgiving.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Bearing this defiled temple of the body, I boldly flee to the all-pure temple of the eternal Word, to offer my lowly supplications before thy holy icon; but do thou, as merciful, cleanse me by thy compassion.
Though thy holy icon, O Theotokos, was cast into the sea by the widow, who could not hide it from the enemies, yet it appeared as the protector of Athos and the keeper of the gate of the abode of the Iberians, a terror to enemies, and for the Orthodox Christians who honour thee a deliverer from all passions and assaults.
When the company of the monks of Iviron beheld the icon of the Mother of God in the midst of the pillar of fire, it cried out: O Master, make us worthy to receive the icon of Thy Mother; and thou, Gabriel, go into the sea and take into thy bosom the treasure revealed to us, that it may be for us an unsleeping guardian, and for all Christians a protection and a joy.
Irmos: The Hebrew youths walked boldly upon the fire in the furnace and, bedewed, cried aloud, saying: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, unto the ages.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
We have sinned and done iniquity before God, and have become partakers of lawlessness and falsehood; but, O our Lady Theotokos, as thou art good, by thy fervent intercession quench the fire of divine wrath, that we may sing to Him: O our Father and God, blessed art Thou.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
In temptations and in the furnace of afflictions sprinkle us also, O Mother of God, with the dew of thy grace, that our enemies may be put to shame and all may know that thou alone, O Lady, art glorified in all the earth.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
We sing of thee as the throne of the King of glory, more honourable than the Cherubim, the living temple wherein the Lord made His dwelling, the firmament of heaven from which Christ, the Sun of righteousness, shone forth; thee do we sing, O Mother of God, and exalt unto the ages.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The divine fire that goeth forth from thine icon, O Mother of God, burneth the camp of the iconoclasts, and poureth upon the faithful the sweet light of victories and strengtheneth us.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thou art the joy of those who dwell in the wilderness of the Holy Mountain, and the consolation and boast of this royal city also, O Virgin Mary, whom we sing and exalt unto the ages.
Irmos: He who spoke with Moses on the mountain through the bush showed forth an image of the birth without harm from the Virgin; Him let us all bless and supremely exalt unto the ages.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
The appearing of thine all-radiant image spreadeth joy upon all the faithful, granteth our land an unsleeping guardian and deliverer from troubles, and maketh fragrant our souls and minds.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
The powers of the angels sing thy praise, the race of men exalteth thee, all creation blesseth thee, O all-holy Virgin Theotokos: accept now also this praise offered by me, the unworthy one.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
Sing, ye monks of Athos; bless, ye of Iviron; exalt, all the earth, the good Lady, who maketh a river of wonders to spring forth through her wonderworking icon; wherefore, O Theotokos, we praise, we bless, we worship, we sing and we exalt thee unto the ages.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
From the monastery of Iviron thine icon spreadeth everywhere unfailing graces, O Theotokos; and the land allotted to thee as thy portion thou dost ever guard and shelter by thine intercession before thy Son and God, whom the youths bless, the priests praise and the peoples exalt unto the ages.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
There is no measure of breadth, depth or height whither the mighty help of thy right hand hath not reached, O Mother of God; trusting in it, the youths bless, the priests praise and the peoples exalt thy Son unto the ages.
Irmos: Heaven was amazed at this, and the ends of the earth marvelled, that God appeared bodily to men, and thy womb became more spacious than the heavens; therefore, O Theotokos, the ranks of angels and of men magnify thee, as is meet.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
The depth of the mystery of thy childbearing astoundeth the minds of the angels, O Virgin, and thine all-holy icon driveth away the demons, for, unable to look upon its power, they flee and are drowned; but we venerate and kiss it with love, and magnify thee, the Theotokos.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
Come, all, let us worship, fall down and exalt the Mother of God, who hath regarded our lowliness, who filleth the hungry with good things, and hath set before us the promise of mercies by the appearing of her wondrous icon.
O most holy Theotokos, Keeper of the Gate, guard and shelter us.
Now still, O all-holy and immaculate Virgin, the assault of the wicked and bring their designs to nothing, and establish peace and love among the peoples of right confession, that we who have set our hope on thee may never be put to shame.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
With divine hymns, O holy Keeper of the Gate, Virgin Theotokos, we venerate thy divine icon, asking forgiveness and salvation for our souls from thee, the surety of our salvation.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O all-holy and merciful one, Helper of Christians, neither the tongue of men nor that of angels can worthily sing thy praise, for thou art more honourable than all creation and more glorious than all the earth; but, O Lady, accept in mercy this supplication offered by us, and save us always, for we set our hope on thee.
When Gabriel had received thine all-precious icon into his bosom, he cried to thee, O Lady: O sweet Mother of Christ the King, be the protectress of thy monastery, the joy of all Christians and the pledge of eternal salvation.
O ineffable goodness! O glorious appearing of the icon of the Mother of God, which shineth with wonders and enlighteneth with grace those who flee to it in faith! As we receive it with joy, it is meet that we thank and honour the holy Maiden of God with song.
O thy providence for us, O Lady! For thou hast sent us thy wondrous icon and in mercy granted us an unsleeping guardian and consolation for our life; wherefore we who know thy precious wonders magnify thee with songs.
O most glorious wonder! How the fire-bearing icon travelleth upon the waves of the sea as upon a chariot, and with radiant beams enlighteneth the minds of men; and we who honour its feast send up glory to the Theotokos in song.
ჵ, დედათა შორის კურთხეულო, ღმრთისმშობელო მარიამ, ვითარცა ძუელად აჩუენე საკჳრველი მფარველობაჲ ერსა ჩუენსა, ეგრეთვე აწცა ნუ დაგჳვიწყებ, და ამაო ჰყვენ საშინელნი მზაკუვარებანი მათნი, რომელნი უკეთურთა და ამაოთა იღუწიან სავნებელად ერისა ჩუენისა, აღრჩეულისა შენ მიერ, ვითარცა საკუთარისა.
Fulfil in thy mercy, O incorrupt one, the words thou didst speak concerning those who fell to thy lot, and give not our inheritance over to the reproach of enemies, but pour out thy mercies upon our race and be a Mother to us, that all may know that we, the Georgian race, are thy portion.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The fulfiller of thy commands, O Mother of God, the venerable Gabriel, walked with unfaltering feet upon the waters of the sea, and having received thy holy icon he arranged the choirs and ordained the feast together with the fasters of Athos; wherefore we too in wonder cry out to the First Cause: Glory to Thee, O Worker of wonders, only King and our God; by the intercession of the Theotokos keep our people, whom Thou hast chosen, and grant it victory over its enemies, as Thou art almighty.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The Great Doxology, and the Dismissal.
At the Liturgy: see 8 September.
Translated in St Petersburg in 1867 from the Slavonic akathist to the Iveron icon of the Mother of God by the Imeretian prince Irakli (Ioseb) Lortkipanidze (Sachinoeli).
The festal service was revised and completed by the psalm-reader Tinatin Mchedlishvili.
