Zelensky announces return of St. Mykola Mokryi's icon, the first miraculous icon of Kyiv Rus
April 11, 2022, 7:02 am

Zelensky announces return of St. Mykola Mokryi's icon, the first miraculous icon of Kyiv Rus

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy with Ukraine army (File photo: Volodymyr Zelenskiy official Facebook page)

The Kyiv Icon of St. Nicholas, one of the oldest miraculous icons of Rus that was in Sophia of Kyiv since the 11th century, is returning to Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky announced, The President of Ukraine official website reported Saturday (Apr 9).

The President said after concluding the details of the UK Prime Minister’s visit to Ukraine: "And another piece of news for today. Long-awaited for many of our people. One of our main shrines will return to Ukraine. One of the most revered shrines of Sophia of Kyiv. The icon of St. Mykola Mokryi (Wet), the first miraculous icon of Russia."

He added: "We’ve been working for a long time to get it back. It was taken out of Ukraine during World War II. And in due time it will be at home - in St. Sophia. I am grateful to the hierarchs, clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the United States for this decision. I want the return of this shrine to be an important symbol for all of us. A fundamental symbol. A symbol that we will return all ours to Ukraine. Everything Ukrainian."

According to folk believe, the first temple in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was erected in the 11th century near that place where the parents had lost their baby during pilgrimage to Vyshgorod, where they floated by boat on the Dnieper to worship the relics of Sts. Borys and Gleb. During the trip, the woman was asleep and dropped the baby into the water. From despair the parents appealed to St. Nicholas with prayer for help. Soon a miracle came true – the parents found their child alive and intact at St. Sophia Cathedral near the icon of St. Mykola Mokryi. It was revered as the most ancient miraculous icon of Kyiv Rus (Text: Sophia of Kyiv/Photo: Euromaidan Press)

St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Kiev, Ukraine was built in 1037 under the rule of Prince Yaroslav I Vladimirovich.

The former cathedral is one of the city's best known landmarks and the first heritage site in Ukraine to be inscribed on the World Heritage List along with the Kyiv Cave Monastery complex.

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According to the Euromaidan, the icon was taken from Kyiv in 1943 to Warsaw, then to the US, before Soviet troops managed to approach the city.

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.