Semistrelnaya — the ‘Softening of the Evil Hearts’ icon honoured on 26 August
On 26 August the Orthodox Church commemorates the Semistrelnaya icon — also called “Softening of the Evil Hearts” — famed for miracles and a centuries‑old origin story from Vologda.
Tomorrow, 26 August, on the Orthodox calendar, believers mark the feast of one of the most venerated and mysterious icons in the Orthodox world — the icon known as Semistrelnaya, popularly called the “Softening of the Evil Hearts.”
The icon shows the Mother of God alone, with seven swords or arrows piercing her breast: three on the left, three on the right and one from below. The number seven in Christian symbolism stands for completeness — here understood as the fullness of the sorrow and pain the Mother endured, especially as she watched Christ on the cross. The seven blades are also interpreted as the seven principal human sins and passions that wound her maternal heart.
From a bell‑tower plank to a miracle‑working icon
Monastic records from Russia connect the image with a striking origin story: for a long time the panel had been treated as an ordinary piece of wood and used on the steps of the bell tower at the Saint John the Theologian monastery in the Vologda region. Locals trod on it daily with their boots until an event changed everything — a paralysed villager reported a dream in which he was told he would be healed if he prayed before that panel. When monks removed and cleaned the board they discovered the holy image beneath the grime; after that, accounts say, the icon began to heal and to work other miracles.
Orthodox tradition and clergy advise a specific place for the icon within the home because of its protective role: opposite the entrance door or in the hallway facing the entrance so that anyone entering sees it first. If that is not possible, it can be placed in the main living room in the eastern corner together with other family icons, always on a visible and honoured spot. The image is believed to act as a spiritual shield that helps prevent negative intentions, quarrels and malice from taking root in the household.
People commonly pray before this icon in moments of acute need: to restore family peace and end deep conflicts; to “soften” the hardened heart of someone who is hostile, angry or scheming; for protection from enemies, slander and manipulation; and for inner calm and strength to endure life’s crises and traumas.
If you choose to honour this feast, 26 August is traditionally seen as an appropriate day for prayer — with a clear conscience, sincere devotion and, for those who keep icons, consideration of placing this protective image in a prominent place at home.
Photo: press material from the event
