Nine separate churches were erected on a single foundation, with one central church, crowned with a large tent, surrounded by eight pillar-churches arranged in a cross-shaped plan.
Here, in this deserted place, far from the hustle and bustle of the world , the Mother of God lit an inextinguishable lamp of prayer.
Since 2010, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople has had a tradition of celebrating the feast at the ancient Panagia Sumela, an ancient monastery in Trabzon, Turkey, though it is always a question whether the Turkish government will permit the celebration.
A church named after one of the co-founders of the 15th-century Solovki Monastery was reconsecrated this week, followed by the first Liturgy there in 100 years.
The Polish Orthodox Church commemorates the wonderworking Supraśl Icon of the Mother of God annually on August 9-10. The day is a great feast for the faithful from throughout Poland and abroad, who gather in the thousands at Supraśl Monastery in northeastern Poland.