Thanks to Our Lady of the Iberians*

In 1923, I made plans to travel to Sweden to rejoin my future husband but my request to leave Russia was repeatedly denied by the Soviet authorities.

On the advice of devout friends, I prayed to Our Lady of the Iberians, who had her own chapel and icon at the entrance of the Red Square in Moscow. (This chapel has since been razed to allow the parades of major military events, and I don’t know what happened to the venerable icon. The shrine was so special that the Czar himself would stop by to pay his respects to the Virgin on each of his visits to Moscow.)

I went to the chapel, which was open day and night. Candles were flickering in front of the icon. I bought one myself, lit it, and looked at the Mother of God, invoking her from the bottom of my heart, sure to be answered.

My situation was very precarious. I had been suffering from hunger for a long time, was in poor health, and had no spare clothes beside the ones I wore. My coat was so worn that my sister thought it was too shabby-looking to take on a trip and gave me one in a slightly better condition.

To my surprise, I finally received the sought-for visa! I consider this a miracle. And I know that I received this grace from God through that famous icon. What I was told about Our Lady of the Iberians came true for me. May Our Lady of the Iberians protect all those who invoke her!

*The Iberians in question are not Spanish, but Georgians who settled in the monastery of Iveron on Mount Athos.

Nina Borovoi-Langlet