The icon in the Church of Holy Sepulcher announced the coming terrible tragedy in the United States. For the third time the thaumaturgical icon "Imposition of The Crown of Thorns upon the Savior's Head" has warned the mankind about approaching tragic events.

The first time it happened before St. Bartholomew night, and the second time before World War II. In the first year of the third millennium the icon started to myrrh-flow for the third time.

Great and terrible warning was obtained just before Orthodox Pascha, the night before Great Saturday with thousands of amazed onlookers present. Dark spots appeared on the icon located at the entrance to the cave of the Holy Sepulcher. Short time later they started to exude red liquid, similar to blood. Several thousand pilgrims, Church Hierarchs including Patriarch of Jerusalem Hierenei, Chief of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem hiermonk Theophan, witnessed the miracle. According to Church history, it happened in the most sacred place of the Christian world for the third time. All three signs were messengers of horrific, bloody events.

The massacre

Back in the XVI century in place of the icon there was a fresque depicting the same event in the life of our Savior, which occurred before His execution. Roman soldiers imposed the crown weaved of thorns upon Christ's head, and beat Him with sticks over the Head. Sharp spikes from the thorn crown pierced the skin and blood started to flow down Christ's face.

The fresque in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher turned "alive", to the horror of the onlookers, and started to myrrh-flow for the first time before the Holy Pascha (Orthodox Easter Sunday) in the year 1572. Drops of liquid looking like blood went running down the fresque's surface. First witnesses of the miracle were two French pilgrims, who came to Jerusalem for absolution of their sins. About miraculous and at the same time horrifying occurrence they witnessed one of them wrote to his wife. The copy of the letter is stored in the archives of Paris Central Library. It seemed to French pilgrim like Savior was weeping that night, as He was looking at the sins of humanity. Five months later, on August 24, 1572, the night of St. Bartholomew, Karl IX started the massacre in Paris. The massacre quickly spread over the entire country, and in two days one third of French population was killed.

The war

In the mid XIX century the tarnished of old age fresque was replaced with the icon painted with oil on canvas. Almost 100 years later, before the Holy Pascha of 1939, in the early night hours of the Great Saturday the icon started to myrrh-flow again. Several monks living in the Jerusalem monastery witnessed this. They reported what they had seen to the Patriarch of Jerusalem. He then immediately went to the Church of Holy Sepulcher to personally witness the miracle. The myrrh was flowing over ruby-colored shroud of the Savior down onto his hands exposing the bleeding wounds. The myrrh flowing did not last long. On the day of the Holy Pascha the icon adopted its usual appearance. The Patriarch wrote to the Roman Pope a letter about the sign. Five months later, on September 1, 1939, World War II began. One third of Europe's population perished in this war.

In the early night hours of Great Saturday in 2001 the Church of Holy Sepulcher was filled. Hiermonk Theophan, Chief of Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem, tells what he had seen: "Almost all monks of the Holy Sepulcher brotherhood were present, there are 50 of them in total for whole Jerusalem, as well as there were thousands of tourists from all over the world. Just from Russia there were more than 100 pilgrims. His Holiness, Patriarch of Jerusalem Hierenei was also present. His Holiness was the first to see the sign as he was blessing pilgrims while standing with his side to the icon. He turned as he was given a candle, looked up and sighed in astonishment. Thousands of pilgrims turned their heads in the same direction as Patriarch. Loud groan was heard in the Church. Blood colored spots appeared on Savior's feet. The myrrh, just like in 1939, first appeared on Christ's shroud, and then ran down unto His feet. The myrrh flowing lasted exactly one day. Just like two times before that it stopped before Holy Pascha. No witness marks remained on the icon."

Five months later, on September 11, 2001, the United States were rocked by the tragedy, which echoed around the world.

-That was not just the single sign this year in Jerusalem, - Hiermonk Theophan continues.

-Right after the miracle at the Church of Holy Sepulcher, myrrh started to flow from icon in other churches as well. Later on, the whole monastery of Gerasim of Jordan started to myrrh flow all over: icons, walls, floors, and ceilings. Nothing like that ever happened before.

Quotes: The third sign. / Newspaper "Zhizn'", Sept. 14, 2001, no.16, pg. 1,4,5

Picture 1, page 1 - Russian pilgrims were able to videotape the miracle in the Church of Holy Sepulcher.

Picture 2, page 5 - Bleeding icon was seen by thousands Picture 3, page 5 - Even amateur pictures reveal bloodstains.

Additional picture, send to the editor of site by Mario Peichev (USA, New-York, Russian Orthodox Church Abroad): "This is a photo which I made thanks to LORD GRACE in 2001 on the eve of Great Friday. We - the group of pilgrims from Russian Orthodox Church abroad were in the church of Holy Sepulcher waiting for the Holy Fire descend, we red acathistus and prepared to this GREAT MIRACLE. Suddenly reanimation between people appears at 23 o'clock. Romanians and Greek who sit alongside, started to talk very emotionally about an "IKON". The Greek woman who sit near me said that the Icon of our LORD JESUS CHRIST started to bleed. I went to the Stone of Flagellation and saw many people - monks, pilgrims which stay in front of the icon of the Lord with veneration and God's fear. The chrism bleed from the shank of the Lord, it run down to letters of text under the icon. I made a photo."