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On May 11, 2016, St. Nino Equal-to-the-Apostles Orthodox Christian Church of Stillwater, OK is honored to host the 700 year old miracle working Kursk Root Icon in Stillwater at the Lee Company Event Room, 1002 South Lewis.
This ancient Christian icon will arrive with security in Stillwater and will be available for public viewing starting at 5:30 pm.
Father Deacon Aaron Taylor will present a brief but lively and intersting talk concerning the history of Christian iconography from 6:30 pm – 7 pm
At 7 pm an Orthodox Christian Moleben (prayer service) will be conducted. This service lasts about 1 hour. Any and all are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Refreshments will be avaible for all from 5:30 pm – 7pm
St. Nino Equal-to-the-Apostles is a new Orthodox Christian mission in Stillwater, Oklahoma. We are an English speaking parish , just started in December 2015, by Americans, primarily Stillwater natives. St. Nino is under the jurisidiction of Bishop Peter of the Diocese of Chicago & MidAmerica within the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. With nearly 170 million members worldwide and dating from 988 A.D., the Russian Orthodox Church is one of the world’s largest and oldest Christian jurisdictions. The Church of Russia, known officially as the Russian Orthodox Church and also referred to as the Moscow Patriarchate, is one of the autocephalous Local Orthodox Churches, ranking fifth after the Churches of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem.
The Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign dates from the 13th century, and is one of the most ancient icons of the Russian Church.
The icon itself depicts the Theotokos “of the Sign” with the Christ child before her. Her arms are outstretched. Above her is the “Lord of Hosts,” and on either side and below are nine prophets who wrote about the birth of Christ (clockwise, starting in the top right): King Solomon, Prophets Daniel, Jeremiah, Elijah, Habakkuk, Judge Gideon, Prophets Isaiah, Moses, and King David. The wooden icon is covered with an intricately worked cover of blue and gold.
The icon has been credited with many miracles throughout history, including the healing of St. Seraphim of Sarov. One Stillwater, Oklahoma man had his vision restored several years ago after venerating this holy icon.
The veneration of icons is not directed at the physical icon but at the prototype of which the image was a symbol.
A very long and detailed history of the Kursk Root Icon can be found here: Detailed History
When the Kursk Icon travels through Russia and other lands, tens of thousands often turn out to venerate this ancient relic. See Video Here
The people of St Nino extend a warm welcome to all. If you need a miracle, then come and see what God might do. If you simply want to see a 700 year old piece of Christian art, then come. If you want the unique cultural experience of attending an Orthodox Christian service, then come. Hey and if you just want some snacks, then come because we really like meeting new people!
For more information, please contact Toma Mallet at
Stillwater Phone: (405) 698-1993
StillwaterOrthodox@gmail.com