Celebration of the Feast of the Mother of God Icon “Three-Handed.” Metropolitan Alexander Celebrates the Divine Liturgy at the Nativity of the Mother of God Church in Alma-Ata

July 25, 2026 – the feast of the “Three-Handed” Icon of the Mother of God.

Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Akzhar district of Alma-Ata.

Concelebrating with the Head of the Metropolitan District were: Archimandrite Joseph (Yeryomenko), Head of the Diocesan Department for the Canonization of Saints; Hieromonk Dimitry (Baydek), Secretary to the Head of the Metropolitan District; Hieromonk Alexy (Cherevtsov), rector of the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Akzhar district; Hieromonk Prokhor (Endovitsky), Head of the Metropolitan’s Secretariat; Priest Georgy Sidorov, Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Head of the Metropolitan District; Priest Georgy Rublinsky, rector of Kazan Cathedral in Alma-Ata; Protodeacon Nikolay Grinkevich; Protodeacon Roman Golovin, Head of the Metropolitan’s Protocol Service; Protodeacon Vladimir Syrovatsky; and Hierodeacon Innokenty (Strunov).

The liturgical hymns were performed by the diocesan choir under the direction of Deacon Alexander Piven.

Praying in the church were O.N. Ovchinnikov, Secretary of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, Honored Figure of Kazakhstan and Honored Artist of Russia, together with benefactors of the Metropolitan District.

The sermon before Holy Communion was delivered by Priest Georgy Sidorov.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a service of glorification was celebrated before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The archpastor addressed those present with a sermon on the veneration of the Mother of God and then sprinkled the faithful with holy water.

“Today the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the ‘Three-Handed’ Icon of the Mother of God. This wonderworking image of the Queen of Heaven, now preserved in the Hilandar Monastery on the Holy Mountain of Athos, has a distinctive feature: at its lower part is attached a silver representation of a human hand. In the ancient Russian tradition, this hand came to be depicted not separately on the icon’s covering, but directly on the icon itself, as though belonging to the Mother of God.

The troparion dedicated to the wonderworking ‘Three-Handed’ icon explains the symbolism of this image. The three hands of the Queen of Heaven, seen by those who pray before the icon, point to the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity and call us to glorify Him. The troparion also offers another interpretation: the third hand is a reminder of the Mother of God’s maternal intercession for the human race. ‘With two hands you hold your Son and Lord, and with the third you have shown yourself to be a refuge and protection for those who honor you, delivering them from every misfortune and affliction,’ the hymn proclaims.

The origin of the ‘Three-Handed’ icon is connected with the miracle granted by the Mother of God in response to the prayers of St. John of Damascus. Because of his zealous defense of the holy icons, St. John became the victim of the intrigues of the iconoclast Emperor Leo III the Isaurian and was falsely accused of treason before the Caliph of Damascus. The ruler ordered that the saint’s right hand be cut off and displayed in the city square.

By evening, the sufferer obtained permission to retrieve his severed hand. He placed it back against his arm and fell before the icon of the Mother of God, imploring her to heal the hand with which he had written books in defense of Orthodoxy. After prolonged prayer, he fell asleep, and in a dream the Queen of Heaven appeared to him, promising that he would soon be healed. Upon awakening, St. John found that his right hand had been completely restored. In thanksgiving for this miracle, he attached a hand fashioned from silver to the icon, from which it received the name ‘Three-Handed.’

According to tradition, St. John composed the hymn to the Mother of God beginning with the words ‘All Creation Rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,’ which is sung during the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great.

For every Orthodox Christian, the name of the Most Holy Theotokos is precious and beloved, for through her Christ the Savior came into the world. We glorify her as ‘more honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim,’ exalted above all the angelic hosts. The Mother of our Lord is also the mother of every Christian, since during His sufferings on Golgotha Christ, in the person of the Apostle John the Theologian, entrusted the whole human race to her. Therefore, everything associated with the Mother of God is held in special honor by the Orthodox faithful: holy places, churches and monasteries, and above all her wonderworking icons.

The granting of our petitions, the fulfillment of our hopes, and the realization of our prayers are possible only when our hearts are filled with sincere faith in God and trust in His mercy. The Holy Apostle Paul teaches us: ‘Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him’ (Hebrews 11:6).

Prayer cannot bear fruit without the purification of our souls, without repentance and the amendment of our lives. In the words of the great Teacher of the Church, St. Gregory the Theologian: ‘Just as a cloud hides the rays of the sun, so a sinner who refuses to acknowledge and renounce his sins shuts himself off from the rays of God’s love and from the mercy of the Mother of God.’

Therefore, as we venerate the icon of the Queen of Heaven, let us ask the Lord to forgive our sins, strengthen us to overcome our weaknesses, and grant us victory over our passions. May the chief purpose of our prayers be the acquisition of a virtuous Christian life, of which the Mother of God herself is the perfect example.”

From the sermon of Metropolitan Alexander.