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Troparion in tone 4
Today the faithful celebrate the feast with joy
Illumined by your coming, O Mother of God
Beholding your pure image we fervently cry to you:
Encompass us beneath the precious veil of your protection
And deliver us from every form of evil
By entreating Christ, your Son and our God
That He may save our souls.

The Feast of the Protection commemorates the appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos in the church of Blachernae in Constantinople in the early sixth century, as recorded in the life of Saint Andrew the Fool for Christ’s sake. While the multitudes of the faithful were gathered in church, Epiphanius, the friend of Saint Andrew, and Saint Andrew through his prayers, beheld the Virgin Mary above the faithful and spreading out her veil over them, signifying her unceasing protection of all Christians. The Most Holy Virgin tearfully prayed for Christians for a long time. At the Blachernae church, the memory of the miraculous appearance of the Mother of God was remembered. Because of this we keep a yearly feast of gratitude, imploring our Lady never to cease sheltering us in her mighty prayers.