The Wonderworking Icon of “Axion Estin”

The holy and wonderworking icon of the Theotokos known as Ἄξιόν ἐστιν (Axion Estin) — “It Is Truly Meet.” This sacred icon is one of the most beloved treasures of Mount Athos, enshrined in the Protaton Church of Karyes, the administrative center of the Holy Mountain.


According to Athonite tradition, the miracle took place in the 10th century in the cell of a humble elder near Karyes. One evening, as the elder went to an all-night village in the Church of the Protaton, he left behind his disciple with an order to perform the service. A young monk (unknown to the disciple who was actually the Archangel Gabriel in disguise) visited the cell. They read together the service. When it came time to sing the “More Honorable than the Cherubim…”, the young monk began with unfamiliar words:


“It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos, ever-blessed and most pure and the Mother of our God…”


The beauty of the hymn and the reverence of the moment struck the disciple-monk with awe. When asked where he had learned such a hymn, the stranger took a roof tile and miraculously engraved the words upon it with only his finger. Then he revealed his identity and disappeared.


That very tile was taken to Constantinople, and the new hymn was adopted by the Church, added to the Divine Liturgy and other services. The icon before which the hymn was first sung became known as Axion Estin, and to this day, countless miracles have been attributed to the intercessions of the Theotokos through this holy image.