The Lesna icon of the Mother of God was
discovered in 1683, on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of our Lord.
A shepherd found it resting in the branches of a tree, and brought it to the
nearest church, one in the village of Bukovicha, not far from the town of
Lesna.
When word of the miraculous appearance of the Icon spread throughout the area, Catholic clergy decided to use the Icon to further Catholicism. In 1686, they forcibly wrested the Icon from the people of Bukovicha, and installed it in the Catholic church in Lesna. At the beginning of the 18th Century, monks of a Catholic order established a large church and monastery in Lesna, where the Miraculous Icon was housed. In 1863 the monks of that order took part in the Polish revolt, and by order of the Russian government, the monastery was closed and turned into an Orthodox parish church. A host of miracles flowed from the Icon. The Lesna Icon of the Mother of God is celebrated both on September 8th and on the Day of the Holy Trinity.
Currently, the Lesna Icon of the Mother of God is housed in our monastery of that name, near Paris. There is a ceramic/porcelain copy of the Icon on the wooden cross which was taken from the grave of brother Joseph, and which stands watch at the entrance to our Parish Hall.