Tears of the Virgin Spring (Perevoloki)

The Tears of the Virgin spring, also called the Tears of the Most Holy Theotokos, is a venerated holy spring in the village of Perevoloki in the Syzran district of the Samara region. It rises at the foot of a hill on the high bank of the Volga, right at the water's edge: cold, clear water runs in a small stream straight into the river, and the bank looks out across the Volga.

History

The stone Church of the Intercession of the Theotokos in Perevoloki was built in 1851 with the support of Countess Orlova-Chesmenskaya. It had two altars: the main, unheated one dedicated to the Intercession and a heated side chapel dedicated to St Basil the Great. In the 1930s the church was closed and destroyed: the main building and the bell tower were taken down to the plinth, and only the walls of the refectory survived.

Locals date the spring to 1936, when it appeared on the bank of the Volga. In the 1990s the parish in Perevoloki was revived and a prayer house was built next to the ruins of the old church. In 1999 the spring was consecrated by the priest Viktor Shibalin, and in 2006 the Samara regional government allocated money to improve the site.

Why it bears this name

According to legend, the spring was revealed by the Mother of God herself when the Intercession church in the village was closed. It is said that right after the church was destroyed a spring began to flow at the foot of the hill by the water, and the villagers named it the Tears of the Virgin: the church had been dedicated to the Virgin, and the water is as clear as a tear.

Legends and accounts

Many stories of healing are linked to the spring. Believers speak of deaf-mute people regaining speech, leg ailments cured and even cancer. One villager recalled that her husband, ill with throat and pancreatic cancer, recovered after prayers and drinking water from the spring, despite the doctors' gloomy forecasts. Witnesses also describe unusual phenomena here, visions and lights they cannot explain. All of this remains part of local tradition.

The spring today

The area around the spring has been landscaped, with an asphalt road leading to it, a car park and places to rest. A chapel with a bathing font, dedicated to the icon of the Mother of God "Life-Giving Spring", has been built and consecrated beside the spring. Pilgrims come from across the region to collect holy water and pray.

Getting there

Perevoloki can be reached by car or by bus and minibus from Syzran and Samara. From the village, walk down to the Volga: the spring is at the foot of the hill by the water.