Miracles by the Holy Belt of Most Holy Theotokos (Virgin Mary) [Volume 5]

The Holy Belt has performed innumerable miracles over the years. We will only refer to some of them, here.

1.    The ship stays montionless
Once, the inhabitants of Ainos invited the Holy Belt. The monks who were accompanying it were being offered hospitality at the house of a priest, whose wife secretly cut off a small piece.     When the monks boarded the vessel, the ship stayed motionless, even though the sea was calm. When the woman saw this extraordinary event she realized her mistake and handed back the missing piece. The ship sailed off only after the piece was handed over. Since then a second casket was crafted to accommodate this piece to this day. read more…
2.    The adventures of the Holy Belt
During the uprising in 1821, at the request of the people of Crete which were afflicted by the plague, the Holy Belt was transported to the island. When the monks prepared to leave, the Turks arrested them and led them to be hanged.  The Holy Belt was then bought by the English consul Dominique Santantonio, who took it with him to his new home Santorini. The news spread fast to the whole island and the Bishop informed the monastery’s brotherhood, who sent Abbot Dionysios to Santorini in 1831. The consul demanded 15.000 grosia for the Holy Belt and the people very touchingly managed to assemble this amount. That’s how the Holy Belt was bought back and returned to the Vatopedi monastery.
However, the wife of the consul did exactly the same thing that the wife of the priest had done. She also secretly cut off a piece, before handing the Belt over to Abbot Dionysios. However soon, her husband suddenly died and her mother and sister became seriously ill. In a letter to the monastery in 1839, she asked them to send representatives to collect the piece.
Every year since then, on the 10th of October the monastery celebrates the second home coming of the Holy Belt to our Holy monastery.
3.    The disappearance of a pandemic/ the rising of a dead man.
In 1864, the Holy Belt was carried over to Konstantinoupolis because of a cholera outbreak. As soon as the ship reached the port, the cholera stopped and none of the sick died. This strange event surprised the Sultan, who had asked the monks to fetch the Holy Belt to him so that he could offer his respects.
While the Holy Belt was in Konstantinoupolis, a Greek resident of Galatas region, had requested for it to be brought to his home since his son was very ill. By the time the Holy Belt reached his house, his son had already died. The monks, however, did not despair. On the contrary they asked to see the body. As soon as they had placed the Holy Belt on him, he rose again.
4.    The onslaught of locusts
In 1894, the Holy Belt was invited to Madyto of Asia Minor, because swarms of locusts have been ravishing the trees and the land. As soon as the ship reached the port, the sky was filled with locusts which were falling into the sea in such great numbers that they made it difficult for the sailors to moor the ship. When the residents of Madytos saw this miracle, they started endlessly chanting “Kyrie Eleison”( “Lord have Mercy”) from were they had been standing at the docks.

source: Ιερά Μεγίστη Μονή Βατοπαιδίου, «Θαύματα Αγίας Ζώνης», έκδοσις β΄επαυξημένη, Άγιον Όρος 2008
translated from Greek by: Olga Konnaris-Kokkinos, journalist