Today, our Church commemorates Theotokos, and believers seek her grace through the veneration of the Holy Cincture.
This feast day is dedicated to the placement of the Holy Cincture of the Mother of God. The term “placement” refers to the transfer of the Virgin Mary’s Cincture to the Church of the Theotokos in Constantinople’s Chalcoprateia district.
This miraculous event dates back to the year 395 during the reign of Emperor Arcadius, the son of Theodosius the Great. Another significant miracle occurred 410 years later when Zoe, the wife of Emperor Leo VI the Wise, was healed after the Holy Cincture was placed on her by opening the coffer in which the relic was kept.
The Holy Cincture, which had been taken during a Bulgarian invasion, was later dedicated by Lazar of Serbia to Mount Athos in 1101, where it remains to this day.
Today marks the end of the liturgical year with the Feast of the Placing of the Cincture of the Mother of God. May her grace continue to guide us as we embark on the new liturgical year, walking in humility and obedience to God’s will, always seeking the intercession of the Virgin Mary.
We rely on the intercession of the Virgin Mary to foster love, unity, and solidarity among us, and to face our daily challenges with courage, both seen and unseen.
Source: Church of Cyprus