Icons of the Mother of God
“Unexpected Joy” Icon of the Mother of God from Andronikov
The “Unexpected Joy” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, is painted in this way: in a room is an icon of the Mother of God, and beneath it a youth is kneeling at prayer. The tradition about the healing of some youth from a bodily affliction through this holy icon is recorded in the book of…
“Myrrh-Bearing” Icon of the Mother of God
The “Myrrh-Bearing” Icon of the Mother of God of Tsarevokokshaisk (in the province of Kazan) appeared to the peasant Andrew Ivanov on May 1, 1647 near Bolshaya Kuznetsa, fifteen versts from the city of Tsarevokokshaisk in the Kazan region. Working in the field, Andrew noticed an icon…
Icon of the Mother of God of Putivil
The Putivil Icon depicts the Mother of God holding Christ on her left arm, and with a ladder behind her right hand. Christ is holding an orb in His left hand, and bestows a blessing with His right. The Putivil Icon is thought to be a copy of the Abul Icon from Mt Abul in Serbia.
“Svena” Icon of the Mother of God
The Svena Caves Icon of the Mother of God was painted by Saint Alypios of the Caves (August 17). In the Icon the Mother of God is depicted sitting upon a throne, and with the Divine Infant on her lap. Saint Theodosios is on the right side of the throne, and Saint Anthony of the Caves on the left.…
Translation of the Dormition Icon of the Mother of God from Constantinople to the Kiev Caves, Far Caves
The Kiev Caves Icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is one of the most ancient icons in the Russian Orthodox Church. The Mother of God entrusted it to four Byzantine architects, who in 1073 brought the icon to Saints Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves. The architects arrived at the…
“Staro Rus” Old Russian Icon of the Mother of God
The Staro Rus (Old Russian) Icon of the Mother of God was so named because for a long time it was in Staro Rus, where it had been brought by the Greeks from Olviopolis during the very first period of Christianity in Russia. The icon was in Staro Rus until the seventeenth century. In 1655 during a…
Inexhastible Chalice Icon of the Mother of God
According to the iconographic models, the Inexhaustible Chalice Icon of the Mother of God belongs to the Orans type -the Mother of God is depicted with her hands upraised, before her is the Divine Infant standing in the chalice. This is the Communion Chalice – an inexhaustible source of…
Icon of the Mother of God of Zhirovits
The Zhirovits Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the year 1470 in the vicinity of Zhirovits on the Grodnensk frontier. In the forest, belonging to the Orthodox Lithuanian dignitary Alexander Solton, shepherds beheld an extraordinarily bright light, while peering through the branches of a pear…
Icon of the Mother of God of Lubech
The Lubech Icon of the Mother of God received its name from the city of Lubech, on the outskirts of Chernigov. The icon manifested itself during the eleventh century. The miracles of this icon were described by Saint Demetrius of Rostov. In 1653, when an invasion of the Poles against Lubech was…
“Kiev-Bratsk” Icon of the Mother of God
The wonderworking Kiev-Bratsk (i.e. "Brotherhood") Icon of the Mother of God was revealed in 1654, and was originally kept in the church of Saints Boris and Gleb in the city of Vyshgorod (Kiev), and was placed in a shrine to the left of the Royal Doors on the iconostasis. On May 10, 1662, during…
“Yaroslavl-Caves” Icon of the Mother of God
Alexandra Dmitrievna Dobychkina, who was from a middle-class family in Yaroslavl, suffered terribly from spiritual and physical ailments for seventeen years. In 1823 she beheld a vision of a church in which was an Icon of the Mother of God. Offering her heartfelt prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos,…
“Sweet-Kissing” Icon of the Mother of God
No information available at this time.
Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God
The Celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was established to commemorate the deliverance of Moscow from an invasion of Tatars led by Khan Makhmet-Girei in 1521. The Tatar hordes approached Moscow, burning and destroying Russian cities and villages, and exterminating their…
“Tenderness” Icon of the Mother of God from the Pskov Caves
The sacred Tenderness Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was painted and brought to the Pskov Caves monastery through the efforts of the devout Pskov merchants Basil and Theodore. It was transferred it to the town of Pskov in the year 1521, and was glorified by miracles of healing in 1524. The…
Icon of the Mother of God of Cyprus
The Cyprus Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, Pentecost Monday, April 20 and July 9.
Icon of the Mother of God “You are a Vineyard” (Georgian: Shen khar venakhi)
The name of this Icon is derived from a poem to the Mother of God which was composed by Saint Damiane (King Demetre I before his monastic tonsure): "You are a vineyard newly-blossomed...." Similar imagery may be found in other liturgical texts, such as the Theotokion of the Third Hour: (Tone 6)…
“Surety of Sinners” Icon of the Mother of God of Korets
This ancient icon of the Mother of God "Surety of Sinners" of Korets was kept in the castle of the Korets Princes for a long time, and it was called "blessed." After the death of Samuel, the last of the Orthodox Princes of Korets, his brother John offered to let his sister, Igoumeness Seraphima…
Icon of the Mother of God “The Unbreakable Wall”
The “Unbreakable (or “Indestructible”) Wall” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is commemorated on the Sunday of All Saints. It is an XI century mosaic icon of the Blachernae type, above the main altar of Kiev's Holy Wisdom Cathedral. The Mother of God is depicted against a golden background,…
Icon of the Mother of God of Nicea
The Nicaea Icon of the Mother of God appeared in the city of Nicaea in Asia Minor in the year 304, as the city was under siege. One of the soldiers, whose name was Constantine, saw the Icon of the Theotokos and threw a stone at it. Then he began to trample it underfoot. That night, the Mother of…
Icon of the Mother of God “the Surety of Sinners”
The Icon of the Mother of God “Surety of Sinners” is known by this name because of the inscription on the icon: “I am the Surety of sinners for My Son Who has entrusted Me to hear them, and those who bring Me the joy of hearing them will receive eternal joy through Me.” The…