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During a siege, worshippers packed into the Blachernae church saw the Virgin Mar
911 Event

October 1

Theotokos Appears in Constantinople During a Siege

During a siege, worshippers packed into the Blachernae church saw the Virgin Mary appear above them, holding her veil over the congregation. St. Andrew witnessed it. The vision became one of Orthodoxy's most celebrated feasts—the Protection of the Theotokos. Historians note the siege details are murky, possibly conflated from multiple attacks. The faithful built their calendar around something that may have happened, or may have been needed to happen.

October 1, 911

1115 years ago

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