At the foot of the hill ascending to the " Red Place," and by the " Sunday gate" (Vosskressenskaya Vorota), the most frequented entrance of Moscow, the good " Iberian Mother" has posted herself directly before the massive pillar that divides the double gateway, with her front turned towards Beloi-Gorod.
Among the Iberians, whose country, the modern Georgia, gave birth to this Iverskaya Mater, her fame was cherished, and became great under the care of the Georgian priests. After passing her childhood in the deep valley of the Kur, she took shipping and followed the fleet of the Argonauts to Mount Afonsk (Athos), to which she took a great fancy. Who built the ship, or who steered it, whether it was Queen Tamara or any other royal personage, the Russian monks do not know, nor how long she made her abode in the cloister, which the Georgians founded on the mountain. From Mount Athos her reputation for miraculous powers spread so far, that the Russian Czar Alexis Michaelovitsh invited her to Moscow, and fixed her abode by the Vosskressensk Gate.
Since then, in defiance of the rude climate, she has never ceased to carry on her Christian labours ; she enjoys the greatest reputation not only in Russia, but throughout oriental Christendom — Armenians, Bulgai'ians, Walachians and Greeks bow down before her. " Yes, I believe even the Lutherans pray here," said the little monk with whom I stood gossiping
A female sovereign of Georgia, who converted a great number of the inhabitants of that country to Christianit)'.
oire evening after he had extinguished the hghts in the chapel : " Vshkor narod vsakoi narodT (Every people, every people pray here !) I was well pleased to go rummaging about vidth those worthy and tolerant folks, who believed that even the Lutherans prayed, because they themselves (the Russians) always make the sign of the cross on passing a Lutheran church. I can-ied a book for them, held the ladder for them sometimes when they were stomng away their curiosities, and reached up the candles ; services which they readily received, bestowing upon me much good instruction in return.