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Blessed apples and belts associated with Saint Irene Chrysovalantou will be available to the public in Cyprus from today, following their arrival from the Holy Monastery of Saint Irene Chrysovalantou in Koropi, Greece.
The items will be received at the Chapel of Saint Ephraim and Saint Jude Thaddeus in Pano Deftera, where visitors will have the opportunity to receive them between 25 and 28 July.
According to an announcement issued by the chapel, the blessed apples and several of the Saint's belts were donated by the nuns of the monastery so that the blessing could also be shared with people in Cyprus. The organisers thanked the monastery for making the donation.
The chapel will remain open daily from 9am to 7pm throughout the four-day period, ending on 28 July, the feast day of Saint Irene Chrysovalantou. Anyone wishing to receive a blessed apple or belt may do so during the opening hours.
Saint Irene Chrysovalantou was a ninth-century abbess of the Monastery of Chrysovalantou in Constantinople. She is one of the best-known female saints of the Orthodox Church and is especially revered by couples praying to conceive, as well as by expectant mothers. Her feast day is celebrated each year on 28 July.
According to Orthodox tradition, Saint Irene became known for her life of prayer, humility and asceticism. One of the best-known accounts associated with her tells of miraculous apples sent to her from Paradise by Saint John the Evangelist. Over time, blessed apples distributed in her name became closely linked with prayers for children and healthy pregnancies.
The Holy Monastery of Saint Irene Chrysovalantou in Koropi, near Athens, is one of the principal centres of devotion to the saint. Every year it welcomes thousands of pilgrims, particularly around her feast day, when blessed apples are distributed to the faithful.
Orthodox tradition records that Saint Irene died peacefully after many years as abbess, leaving behind a legacy that continues to attract pilgrims seeking her intercession.
