Panagia Machairiotissa: icon found by knife on Cyprus mountain

The post marks the October 18 commemoration of the Holy Icon of the Theotokos known as Panagia Machairiotissa, which refers both to a miraculous icon and the Machairas Monastery in Cyprus. The monastery sits on Mount Kionia in the Troodos range at 870 meters altitude and is regarded as the second most prestigious monastic site on the island.

Tradition holds the icon is one of seventy painted by Saint Luke the Apostle, who is also commemorated on this day. A hermit brought the icon, then called Panagia Hagiosoritissa, from Constantinople to Cyprus during the Iconoclastic period (716-843 AD) and hid it in a remote cave, where it remained forgotten for centuries after his death.

Around 1145 the hermits Neophytos and Ignatios were guided by the Virgin Mary to the cave and given a knife (machairi in Greek) to clear the overgrowth blocking the entrance. The icon took the name Machairiotissa ("of the knife") and the monastery built on the spot was named Machairas. The icon survived catastrophic fires in 1530 and 1892 without damage; global fundraising supported reconstruction.

Today the monastery follows a strict communal rule modeled on Mount Athos and houses a brotherhood of monks.