The family story of a travel icon from Pererowo

Not all stories can be found in textbooks. Some of them live only in homes, in the memory of their families, in stories passed down from generation to generation. Such a story is the story of a small traveling Greek Catholic icon – the image of the Virgin Mary, which has accompanied my family for over one hundred and forty years and has

become a talisman and a sign of international friendship. This story was presented to me by my grandfather when I asked him for help in preparing for the competition.

The history of this souvenir begins in the town of Pererów, located near Kołomyja, in the area of former Eastern Galicia. It was a multicultural area, inhabited by Poles,

Ruthenians (Ukrainians), Jews and representatives of other nations.

The first owners of the travel icon were a Greek Catholic family living in Pererów. This family was friends with the family of my ancestors. They were connected by everyday matters, joint work, mutual help and trust, which in my opinion was of great importance at that time.

At the center of this story is my ancestor from Pererów, known in family traditions as Wincenty Rytarowski or Bazyli Święcicki. He lived in the second half of the nineteenth century, at a time when the inhabitants of Galicia were under the Austro-Hungarian

partition. Like many men from these areas, he was drafted into the army and took part in two wars waged by Austria-Hungary.

The first of these was the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, a short but extremely bloody conflict that forever changed the balance of power in Central Europe. The second was the Balkan War of 1878, directed against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Both campaigns meant for the ordinary soldier not only the fight against the enemy, but also marches in difficult conditions, disease, hunger and constant uncertainty whether it would be

possible to return home at all.

When my ancestor went to war, the neighbors from Pererowo decided to entrust his fate to the care of the Virgin Mary. They presented him with a travel icon, giving her the right wing, so that – as it was believed – it would protect him during the fighting and the long journey.

The icon accompanied him during both wars. He carried it with him both during marches and during fights. For him, it became a sign of the presence of God and the Virgin Mary in the most difficult moments, a source of courage and inner peace.

After a happy return from the First War, he gave his neighbors the wing of the icon, which he received before going into battle. However, when he had to go to war again, history

repeated itself. For the second time, he returned healthy, which was a special sign in the eyes of his neighbors. They decided that since the Virgin Mary allowed him to return alive from two wars, the image should remain with him forever.

Around 1878 or 1879, in Pererów, the icon was permanently passed on to an ancestor. From that moment on, it was no longer just a religious souvenir, but a sign of a miracle and proof of special care. In family traditions, the belief was consolidated that it was thanks to the Virgin Mary that the ancestor survived both conflicts and was able to return home.

After the death of an ancestor, the icon of the Virgin Mary was passed down from hand to hand for eight generations. According to family tradition, it always went to the oldest member of the family in a given generation. It was not an ordinary object – it was a sign of responsibility, continuity and memory of the past that survived, and thanks to the

story passed on by my ancestors, I also learned about this history.

The current owner of the icon, i.e. my grandfather on my father's side, who learned its story from his grandfather's stories. It was he who first introduced him to the history of the image, the fate of his ancestor and the meaning that the icon had for the whole family. According to her grandfather: "it was proof that history is not just a record of dates and battles, but a living story that lasts in family memories."

According to him, this souvenir says a lot about the values of the family: "This souvenir can show a lot about mentality, about faith, responsibility, respect for tradition and

about the belief that neighborhood and friendship can cross national and religious borders."

The travel icon from Pererowa is a small object, but it hides a great history. He is a witness to two wars, eight generations and hundreds of silent prayers. He reminds us that history does not always scream from monuments - sometimes it speaks in

whispers from family homes, teaching who we were and who we are. For me personally, it is of great patriotic and national significance and thanks to it future generations will not forget how important the future of the nation was for our ancestors, looking at it future generations will, I hope, nurture our independence, for which my ancestor fought so bravely.