The Icon of the Portaitissa is in the monastery of Iviron at the Ayion Oros in Greece.

During the Wars against the Holy Icons,this icon was kept in a small church by a God fearing lady who lived in Nikaia.She had built this small church to protect the icon.The church and the icon was located by spies of the emperor and the lady was told that the icon would be confiscated unless she paid them money.
She told them that she would pay them the money they asked for on the following morning. That night she took the icon to the seashore with her son and put it in the water. It was then that a miracle occured. Instead of sinking, the Icon sat on the water and headed out against the current. The woman then persuaded her son to go to the Ayion Oros and become a monk.Her son was called Isidoros. He left for Athona on Ayion Oros. He told the other monks the story of the miraculous icon. Many years passed and Isidoros died and the icon was still lost.

One night the monks saw a strange sight. A burning light which stretched from the sea to the sky. They saw this for a few nights and decided to investigate. They took some boats out to where the light was and they saw the icon of the Virgin standing on the sea. They tried to get it but they could not. As they approached the icon it moved further away. Disheartened they went back to the monastery.

One night the Virgin Mary appeared to a monk called Gabriel. She told him to walk on the water and collect the icon. This would show the other monks that she loved them and would look after them .Gabriel did as he was told , walked on the water and collected the Icon. With love and humility,the monks placed it in the monastery. The next day the Icon had gone.After much searching the monks found it above the monastery door. They took the icon and placed it in the alter again. The next day it was gone again. This happened many times, and the monks kept finding it above the door. One night the Virgin Mary appeared to Gabriel again. She told him to tell the monks to stop bothering her and to leave her where she wanted to be.As long as the Icon was in the monastery the love of her son would never leave it. It was then that the monks realised she wanted to stay by the door, and built her a special outer sanctuary in which the icon was placed. It was thus that the Icon got its name -Portaitissa.

The Miracles:

The icon has performed many miracles-curing possessed people, curing the blind and the paralysed.

The icon has blood on it, on the chin of the Virgin Mary. This was from the time an unbeliever stabbed the icon with a sword. Blood poured out from the icon from that moment. The attacker became a Christian from this time. The stain of blood is still visible as a reminder to all.

Once a poor worker reached the monastery, and hungry , he asked for food. The monk on the door refused him, and sent him on his way. He left and sat under a tree depressed. Very soon he heard footsteps and saw a lady with a child approaching. She asked him what was wrong and he told her his story. " I am the head of the monastery, " she said, "go back and ask again for bread . If they refuse pay them with the money I give you."He went back and did as he was told. He told the monk on the door his story and showed him the money the lady had given him. The monk told all the other monks and they realised the lady was the Virgin Mary.The money itself had been donated to the icon of the Virgin a while back as the monks realised it was missing. The monks put the money back by the icon and gave bread to the travelling worker.