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Day of Baptism of Russia in Sholokhov Museum-Reserve

The Don Cossacks were always ready to stand for the Russian land and the Orthodox faith, and therefore the Day of the Baptism of Russia is an important holiday for all of us.

On this day, July 28, the workers of the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov and the children attending the Sholokhov District Extracurricular Work Centre walked along the spiritual and educational route to the holy source of the Don Icon of the Mother of God.

On the way to the spring, the children were able to see a small chapel of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God located on the territory of the Vyoshensky sanatorium. The children learned that our famous countryman M.A. Sholokhov took part in solving many organizational issues that arose during the construction of the sanatorium.

Further, the path ran through a pine forest, where, as everyone immediately noted, it is easy to breathe. The guide explained that it is coniferous trees that are able to ionize the surrounding air, as well as release phytoncides – substances that destroy pathogenic microbes.

Walking through the pine forest, the group ended up in a floodplain forest, where they were able to see a wide variety of vegetation. So the guys got to the spring consecrated by the rector of St. Michael the Archangel Parish.

Here at the source, there is a cross with the icon of the Don Mother of God. The young sightseers learned the history of this icon inscribed in the salary book of the Donskoy Monastery. According to the legend, in 1380, on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo, the Cossacks arrived at the camp of Moscow Prince Dmitry Donskoy to help him in the battle against the Tatars.

Throughout the battle, the Don Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary painted by Theophanes the Greek was in the camp of the Russian troops, and it was her intercession that the victory was attributed to. After the battle, the icon was transported to Moscow, where a stone temple was built specially for it, and now it is stored in the Tretyakov Picture Gallery.

This icon is especially revered in the Don region, as it is an unshakable reminder of the grace of the Virgin to the Russian land, of her intercession for our country in its hardest trials.

Igor Movchan