One of the most loved feasts of the Russian Orthodox Church is that of the Protection of the Theotokos. This feast commemorates when the Most Holy Virgin appeared in Her church in Blachernae in Constantinople to the people, who were keeping vigil, praying for Her protection against the Scythian tribes, which were attacking the imperial city.
Russians look upon this feast and the appearance of the Most Holy Mother of God as the beginning of their salvation, Her intervention in the religious life of the Russian people.
St. Romanos the Melodist was chanting during the Vigil, and thus this feast is also regarded as the feast of chanters in the Russian Orthodox Church.
While this feast is noted in the calendars of other Orthodox churches, no where is it as celebrated as in the Russian Orthodox Church, and for this reason, it is treated as if it were one of the twelve major feasts of the Church.
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