Icons Reappear in Ukrainian Village
"Before the World War II, our farm belonged to the priest. The old house was destroyed by German bombs and we had to build a new home. In 2006 the priest's old shed burned down. When cleaning up the wreckage, we found two small boards, image-sized, 10 x 15. We were very surprised they hadn't burned. My husband decided not to throw them away," said 85-year-old Maria Nefortouna.
Her husband, Basil Bouchanenko said, "Originally it was impossible to see anything on the boards. They were dull, yellowish, and badly damaged by beetles."
The boards were put in the summer kitchen and forgotten until the grandchildren found them and began to play with them.
"Seeing it, I picked up a board and was shocked! There seemed to be the face of a saint. I took it to church, had it blessed, and then placed it in a more prominent place in the house, next to family photos. There were no doubts that this was an icon. In a few months the face and hands of St. Nicholas the Miracleworker appeared and even details of his clothing. Some details appeared in just a week," said Basil Bouchanenko.
The priest from the church in Rassivka, Father Bogdan, reported that "the appearance of these images," took place before his eyes.
"I remember well how dull the image of St. Nicholas was, when we sanctified the board, and how clear it is now. It just lit up! I have no doubt that it was a miracle. It is impossible to wash or clean the old icons. These experiments do not go with that. Whether or not renewed. It is God's will in everything. The atmosphere at home and faith of the people who live there played a large part," said the priest.
The image of St. Nicholas reappeared on one icon, Jesus Christ on the second icon.
Now villagers come to the home, the same as they go to church, to venerate the icons.
SOURCES:
Bogoslov.ru, September 2011
John Sanidopoulos Mystagogy