The Orthodox Feast on October 14
On October 14, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) celebrates the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, also known as Pokrov or the Intercession of the Mother of God. The feast recalls a vision of the Mother of God praying for the faithful and spreading her veil over them.
What happened at the Blachernae church?
In the 10th century, the people of Constantinople gathered for an all-night vigil at the Blachernae church while the city faced danger. St. Andrew the Fool-for-Christ and his disciple Epiphanius saw the Mother of God enter the church. She knelt and prayed with tears, then extended her shining veil over the people gathered there.
The Church commemorates this vision on the feast of her Protection. The veil is the image at its heart: the Mother of God praying for people who have turned to God in their need.
What does Pokrov mean?
Pokrov is often rendered in English as Protection or Intercession. The feast’s troparion asks the Mother of God to shelter the faithful beneath her veil and to entreat Christ, her Son, for their salvation. Her protection is understood through her prayers to Him.
Pokrov in ROCOR parish life
The Protection of the Mother of God became a beloved feast in the Russian Church and remains a patronal feast for ROCOR parishes around the world. In October 2025, Metropolitan Nicholas celebrated it at Holy Virgin Intercession Church in Glen Cove, New York, where Archpriest Alexandre Antchoutine was rector.
The Eastern American Diocese reported that Metropolitan Nicholas urged the faithful to pray to the Mother of God in adversity, illness, and temptation, with humility and love. His counsel speaks to the purpose of the feast today: we can bring our fears and needs into prayer and ask for her intercession before Christ.
On October 14, as we honor the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, we join generations of Orthodox Christians in asking: Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Article sources
- Holy Protection Cathedral, Melbourne (ROCOR) — “Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God”. Source for the account of St. Andrew and Epiphanius, the veil, the troparion, and the feast’s place in Russian Church tradition. www.pokrov.com.au
- Eastern American Diocese (ROCOR) — Metropolitan Nicholas celebrates Pokrov in Glen Cove. Source for the description of his 2025 sermon and Father Alexandre Antchoutine’s connection to the parish. eadiocese.org
- Eastern American Diocese (ROCOR) — 2026 hierarchal schedule. Confirms the October 14, 2026 observance. eadiocese.org
Image credits
- Pokrov icon: Holy Protection Cathedral, Melbourne (ROCOR), feast page.
- 2025 feast photograph: Eastern American Diocese of ROCOR, Glen Cove celebration and photo gallery.
