Vigil Vespers/Matins followed by Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy to start around 7:30 pm - if you want to take holy communion please fast from 2 pm
The Feast of the Life-Giving Spring
The Feast of the Life-Giving Spring (or Life-Giving Font of the Mother of God) is a significant Orthodox Christian celebration observed annually on Bright Friday (the Friday following Pascha). It honours the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) and commemorates a historic, miracle-working holy well located just outside the ancient walls of Constantinople.
Origins and Miracles
The feast centres on two primary historical accounts of the spring's discovery and the subsequent building of a church on the site:
Emperor Leo I: According to tradition, the future Byzantine Emperor Leo I was guided by the miraculous voice of the Theotokos to a hidden spring in an overgrown grove. After using the muddy water to restore a blind man's sight, he fulfilled a prophecy by becoming Emperor and built a magnificent church so the site could be properly worshipped.
Emperor Justinian: A second prominent account notes that Emperor Justinian discovered a chapel with the miraculous well while hunting. Recognising it as a source of miracles, he built a grand sanctuary around it using materials left over from the construction of the Hagia Sophia.
The Icon and Traditions
Iconography: The traditional icon of the Life-Giving Spring depicts the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child seated above a basin. "Living water" flows from them into a larger, cross-shaped marble font below. Variations of the icon often feature angels, the Emperor, the Patriarch, and individuals experiencing miraculous healings from the water.
Liturgical Celebration: The feast is celebrated with beautiful Paschal hymns and frequently includes a Lesser Blessing of Waters following the Divine Liturgy. It carries forward an ancient tradition of sanctifying natural springs in honour of the Holy Mother.
Apolytikion (Tone 3)
As a life-giving fount, thou didst conceive the Dew that is transcendent in essence,
O Virgin Maid, and thou hast welled forth for our sakes the nectar of joy eternal,
which doth pour forth from thy fount with the water that springeth up
unto everlasting life in unending and mighty streams;
wherein, taking delight, we all cry out:
Rejoice, O thou Spring of life for all men.
Kontakion (Plagal of Tone 4)
O Lady graced by God,
you reward me by letting gush forth, beyond reason,
the ever-flowing waters of your grace from your perpetual Spring.
I entreat you, who bore the Logos, in a manner beyond comprehension,
to refresh me in your grace that I may cry out,
“Hail redemptive waters.”