A CHURCH ROBBED.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 647, 26 October 1909, Page 5

A CHURCH ROBBED.

:. BICH VOTIVE OFFERING STOLEN IN :■ ' ; '.POLAND. "' v /■:■' ■ (By. Asjociatlyn-GbpyrlEhU ,■■ '.'•':: .-: Warsaw, Ootober 24.;, ' The Church-of the : Holy, Mothor'. at.-.Cecs-tochowa', anold 1 historical city'of Russian Poland, has been broken into, : and, robbed of a diamond crown, aWotiye offering-vajuod at ,£100,000,/ The robbers cscapod, i,\i '.;;,„. . ■;■ Tho Church contains ah imago that has, been venerated, in Poland for. five, hundred years. HOW THE- IKON-ROBBER SO.UARES.HIS ; \ ,"i; ; CONSCIENCE; :-"-;' '•' The votivo offerings'found in Russian Churches very often exceed,in value the buildings themselves. They; usually'take'tho form of ikons-r-ropre'sentations in painting or mosaic of Christ or a favourite 6aint, enshrined in richly-jewelled frames—and are placed without any .■precaution as to safety on the ,uu-,' merous altars dedicated' to saints. : , Although jobberies havo been frequent, those costly offerings .are supposed .tcrenjoy.-immun-ity;lrbra pillago or desecration' by reason of their, essentially sacred, and frequently miracleworking, oharncter, but the robber often overcomes !this: difficulty by making, a propitiary offoring,, usually . Bevoral roubles' worth of candles,' to a:neighbouring ikon. There is to believe, therefore, that the .robbers left the churoh at Czestochowa with a clear conscience;;. : -.;:'.,;.,., ■•■ , ».", , . , ' ; ,, . : - ■'

Sometimes ikons arc taken, from churches to ; tho,,'bed-sidos of dying. Grand Dukes or other notables upon paymont'of heavy, fees', and thoir progress through' the streets under a largo escort of priests, is attended with great ceremony and reverence, the people, on all sides prostrating 'themselves to tho /ground ins tho carriage containing -tho emblazoned, image, passes. The Tsar, hashis special ikon contained in' the Kremlin, Moscow, to -which city he occasionally travels, to do 'homoge. - The picture of .the Holy Virgin at'Czestochowais considered a national relic, and attracts thousands of pilgrims."' ,-' ' '■ ■•'