The Icon history

If the steps will ever send off you , dear pilgrim, on the troubled paths of love, faith and suffering leading to Monastery Varzaresti, do not stop them. Let them lead you there, to the Virgin Mary, where you can talk in a cell with one of those modest men of sacrifice, without reputation and without aureole. You will see in his eyes forever humble and go to heaven and earth will feel like the heart to raise a hymn of praise to God. Then you will be wrapped in a unearthly light, a peace and joy which no words will give you answer to the toughest questions of existence. Then you will understand that there is Holiness and It is so close to us, that we can not see It because it is hidden in the shadow of humility, in a corner of the monastery.
From few information that we have it is known that the Virgin Mary Icon was made (supposedly) from the Rudy monastery at the crossroads of nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Eleonora Nun, who came to the monastery in 1922, said that when she came to the monastery the icon was here. The inscription on the metal shell of the icon confesses that this icon has been repaired and re-renewed in 1901. A possible link with Monastery Rudi with the Monastery of Varzaresti, would make possible explanation for this allegation, fall 1828, when Rudy gets Hermitage monastery of women and nuns are brought in Plover in number of 25. After their familiarity with the new place, eight of them prefer to transfer at the Varzaresti Monastery. In 1847, to January 3 by the Spiritual Consistory, Magdalena and Evdokia nuns are transferred from the Hermitage Rudi to Varzaresti Monastery, who were under 70 years and had a high experience. Therefore, we can accept that the two hermitages were some links, especially with any correspondence between the nuns who have been separated.
Once this icon has gone through a fire, but did not burn, which was perceived as a miracle and due to this the Icon assigned a miraculous name, while proving that it was not a simple image, but something special . About a possible fire at the Varzaresti Monastery it is not mentioned anywhere, what motivates us to believe that the icon has burned in another monastery, after which it was brought to the Monastery of Varzaresti. The minutes of March 1, 1943, the inventory list this icon is placed on nr .216 separately from other icons: Virgin Icon framed and gilded, which is estimated at 180,000 lei. It is only valuable thing of the monastery, and the price of equivalent, at that time reported as 121 ha of forest.
By closing the monastery it is known about the icon that it was in both churches, according to the season, the icon of the warm period of summer was in the church dedicated to St. Great Martyr Dimitrie, and in winter – the winter church “Virgin Birth” helping and soothing her heavenly power nuns and sisters that served them. With the closure of Varzaresti Monastery in 1959, wandering of the Icon of the Virgin begin.
The only consolation for the creatures of the monastery in this period were full of testing light rays that came from the Miraculous Icon of the Virgin Mary. She was the earnest in the hope of better times, but it was not for a long time. From “Biography” of Icon we hear that the day the trucks came to load the monastery treasures to be transported, two sisters stronger yarn (her sister Alexandra and her sister Elisabeth) gathered up all their courage and entered the church by the altar without being seen by anyone. They took the Icon of the Virgin Mary and lead it in the cell of sister Elisabeth, who was near the church. Shortly the sister Elisabeth moved to live in the village, and Icon was made by sister (N) in her cell, where nuns and sisters gathered and prayed Virgin Mary. The drought was the day where prayers for rain were in that cell, until the evening rain soon. And when the rain kept too long, they were praying for its cessation and the rain stoped. One night of the year 1977, during the earthquake, nuns and sisters ran to the Virgin Mary Icon and it was a big surprise when they saw lit lamps in front, before being unheated. Lamps were lit by itself.
Miracles by the Virgin Mary entrusted them that She was with the monks, it ended with the decision of sister (N) to give the icon to a relative of hers who was a priest, under the pretext of being better protected. Since then the icon starts the true pilgrimage. Mockery it was proved the resistance to the other nuns not to give the icon to watch the cell and sister Alexandra, because this, realizing that they can not remove the icon from the cell on day, because it was guarded by nuns, covered it with a cloth and in the night they led her to a car which was expecting more from hill monastery cemetery. Since then her sister (N) has not been anyone in her cell to hide the offense committed. But she could not hide it from tender heart who lived nearby. Other creatures have started to reprimand for having dared to give treasure monastery to foreign hands, and Mother of God rebuked those who brought it from her house and on the road was an accident, when the father left leg fractured. Too much was their decision and callous heart, for they have understood the divine work. When her sister (N) understood the mistake he had made, it was already late because her family refused to return the icon to the monastery.
Now, even nuns remained “widows” of any comfort and wandering in a world hostile to them. As far as was possible in the valley down to the parish church where prayers lifted up their hot and bitterness and cried, thanking God for joys, and troubles, saying: Thank God for all!
About the returning of Icon in the Monastery we can offer the following information: In 1994 the monastery was officially reopened. Monastic community began to grow. Newcomer to the convent sisters learned the history of the monastery from the memories of old nuns who were living. It could not that monks, in their stories, to avoid saying that the monastery had a miraculous icon, the only thing it had been possible to save and was taken in a cowardly way and did not know anything for a long time. At their hearing, especially, in the crisis by passing the monastery, finding the icon was more than what we mean by “want back home.” Although they started looking icon as described in various ways offered by old nuns, have been searching in vain, no one could give any correct information about where you might find icon. Everything was humanly unreadable until one day when the great miracle occurred – a relative called her sister (N), announcing that a few days will bring an icon of the Virgin Mary. Nobody suspected that this particular icon will be much sought after. That is the icon May 11, 1997 was brought back to the Monastery of Father Dumitru Varzaresti relatives, who had a car at night.
Virgin wonders committed by its icon are countless. In her honor, as a token of gratitude for the gift offered, the congregation of nuns formed an unsettled for Her Too Pure Name, which contains some verses that refer to Icon pilgrimage. Icon feast is made annually on May 17, when there is the procession with the Icon.
Along with Abbot heavenly the Varzaresti Monastery has as mentors in the climbing of salvation, both by the example of their lives and living presence, those whom the Eastern Church honors them as “mentors of speakers along with monks and angels”, scilicet the holy relics Elder of Optina, the devotion of Job and Amphilochios Pochaev, of St. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Alexis of Russia Carpathians, the Pious Moses the Hungarian-Pecerska Kievo Lavra, of Devotion of John and Theophilus fool for Christ’s St. Alexis from Kiev, the Blessed Mother Matrona in Moscow, St. Nicholas of the groom liquor of the Holy Great Martyr George and Demetrius, with their prayers and their worship of God caress us all. Amen.