"Before the Russian Revolution in 1917, there were more icons and churches dedicated to Mary in Russia than in any other country in the world," said Father Victor Potapov, a Russian Orthodox priest who is rector of the Russian Orthodox Church of St. John the Baptist in Washington, during a brief ceremony today at 10:30 am to open the exhibit. "Russia in those years, for that reason, was sometimes called 'The House of Mary.'" Potapov said that more Christian martyrs suffered imprisonment and death under anti-Christian regimes during the 20th century than during the entire three centuries of persecution that the early Church suffered under the Roman Empire. "More Christians died during 70 years of Communism than during 300 years under the Roman," Potapov said. "But the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the faith. And Christian faith is being renewed today in Russia." Monsignor Walter R. Rossi, the rector of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception which is hosting the remarkable exhibition, nodded his agreement.
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I hate having to fill out a form just to post a comment, but I have had to add that thing where you have to type in the letters that you see in the graphic to be able to post a comment, because I was getting nasty spam stuff. You can still choose anonymous.
If you have relevant links or resources, please put them in the comments and I will certainly check them out!