THE FRIDAY OF RENEWAL WEEK: THE FEAST OF THE LIFE-GIVNG SPRING

My beloved brothers and sisters in Our Risen Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ,

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN! ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! ΑΛΗΘΩΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ!

THE FRIDAY OF RENEWAL WEEK: THE FEAST OF THE LIFE-GIVING SPRING

Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn of the Mother of God. Third Tone

As a Life-Giving Fount, thou didst conceive the Dew that is
transcendent in essence, O Virgini Maid, and thou hast welled forth
for our sakes the nectar of joy eternal, which doth pour forth from thy
fount with the water that springeth up unto everlasting life in unend-
ing and mighty streams; wherein, taking delight, we all cry out:
Rejoice, O thou Spring of life for all men.

Kontakion Hymn of the Mother of God. Plagal of Fourth Tone

From thine unfailing fount, O Maid supremely graced of God thou
dost reward me by the flow of the unending streams of thy grace that
doth surpass human understanding. And since thou didst bear the
Word incomprehensibly, I entreat thee to refresh me with thy grace
divine, that I may cry to thee: Rejoice, O Water of salvation.

Outside of Constantinople, towards the district of the Seven Towers, there was in ancient times a very large and most beautiful church named in honor of the Theotokos; it has been built about the middle of the 5th century by the Emperor Leo the Great (also called "Leo of Thrace," he is commemorated on January 20th). Before he became Emperor, he had encountered there a blind man, who being tormented with thirst asked him to hsacrelp him find water. Leo felt compassion for him and went in search of a source of water, but found none. As he became downcast, he heard a voice telling hi there was water nearby. He looked again, and found none. Then he heard the voice again, this time calling him "Emperor" and telling him that he would find muddy water in the densely wooded place nearby; he was to take some water and anoint the blind man’s eyes with it. When he had done this, the blind man received his sight. After Leo became Emperor as the Most Holy Theotokos had prophesied, he raised up a church over the spring, whose waters worked many healings and cured maladies by the grace of the Theotokos; from this, it came to be called the "Life-giving Spring." The Church of Christ celebrates the consecration of this church on this day.

After the fall of the imperial city, Constantinople, this church was razed to the ground by the Ottoman Turks and the materials from it were used for building the mosque of Sultan Bayezid. Nothing remained of that church’s beauty, except for a small and paltry chapel, almost completely buried in the ruins. This chapel had twenty five steps into it, and a transom window on the roof, wherefrom it received light. Toward the western side of the chapel was the aforementioned holy Spring until 1821. Then even that little remnant was destroyed by the Turkish authorities, occasioned by the uprising of the Greek Nation against the Ottoman Turkish Empire; the sacred Spring was buried with it and disappeared altogether.

But the days of Sultan Mahmud, when those subjects to him were rejoicing in their freedom to practice their religion, permission was sought by the Orthodox Christian community to rebuild at least the chapel. Thus the work was begun on July 26, 1833. When the excavation had been made, and the foundations of the ancient church were found, there was rebuilt–by a later writ of permission from the Sultan–not merely a chapel of the holy Spring, but another new church, constructed upon the foundations of the ancient one. The building of this spacious, beautiful, and most majestic temple began on September 14, 1833, and the work was completed on December 30, 1834, On February 2, 1835, the Ecumenical Patriarch Constantine II, serving the Divine Liturgy together with twelve hierarchs and a great company of clergy, as well as a boundless multitude of Orthodox Christians, performed the consecration of the sacred church and dedicated it to the glory of the Mother of God. On September 6, 1955, however, it was DESECRATED AND DESTROYED AGAIN BY THE MODERN MUSLEM TURKS; IT HAS BEEN RESTORED AGAIN, BUT NOT TO ITS FORMER MAGNIFICENCE. (Resources: The Great Horologion)

CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!
___________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
+ Saint John Chrysostom

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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George