The Valaam Icon of the Mother of God returned from outer space

A copy of the miraculous Valaam Icon of the Mother of God has returned to the monastery located on the Lake Ladoga island from outer space. Press secretary of the Valaam Monastery of the Transfiguration Mikhail Shishkov reported on May 23 that the icon would be kept in the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord on the island.

A copy of the miraculous Valaam Icon of the Mother of God painted in oil on board was delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) in September 2005 with the blessing of the Valaam monastery and flew around the earth together with the cosmonauts more than a thousand times.

The Valaam Icon of the Mother of God was painted by monk Alipy (Konstantinov) in the late 19th century. The Heavenly Queen is depicted full length walking on the clouds and carrying God the Infant in her hands.. A copy for the ISS was painted by the monks of the Valaam monastery. The abbot, Bishop Pankraty of Troitsk, gave the icon to the guests of the monastery from the Space Centre last summer, ITAR-TASS reports.