Orthodox icon | Five Mother of God icons |

Material: bronze/brass/yellow metal. Multicolored enamel.

Above:

Praise of the Mother of God – The panel shows the Mother of God on the throne. Her body is turned slightly, her head is bowed, and her right hand is raised in greeting. She is surrounded by 12 apostles and kings who face her. In the front left and right of the throne stand King David and King Solomon. The prophets hold open scrolls in their hands that refer to the prophecy: “I have seen the burning bush.”, “What I have heard, I see.”, “I am …”, “Rejoice very much, oh Zion. “,” Here is the pregnant virgin. “,” Rejoice in … “. Behind it, a network of tendrils unfolds, which shows a medallion with the image of Christ Emmanuel, the pre-existent logos, above the Mother of God. Sometimes the praise of the Blessed Mother is also connected with the root of Jesse, according to which the trunk of the tendril grows out of the Jesse lying on the ground.

The Mother of God of Tikhvin (Tikhwinskajy) with six saints (June 26) – A classic representation of the Mother of God. The Mother of God points to the incarnate Son of God. He is enthroned in regal posture, blessing with a scroll in his hand. The icon of the Mother of God appeared on a cloud over Lake Ladoga in 1383. Fishermen casting their nets saw an unusual light and in it an icon that floated in the air above the water. The icon, which was carried by angels, appeared in a few places before it stopped on the Tikhwinka River near the city of Tikhvin. A church in honour of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary was built on the site. The church was destroyed by fire three times, but the icon that was inside it was always intact. The icon is revered across Russia. People pray before her for the health of children and the healing of their illnesses.

The Mother of God of Vladimir (Vladimirskaya) with four Metropolitans of Moscow and two saints (May 21, June 23 and August 26) – The Mother of God is shown with the child on her right arm. It corresponds to the type of Umilenia, which was developed in Byzantium in the 11th century. The Blessed Mother turns lovingly to the child. The intimate relationship between the two becomes clearly visible, whereby the sorrowful expression of Our Lady is intended to indicate that she can already foresee the passion that lies in the future.

Mother of God of Smolensk (Smolenskaya) with six monks (July 28) – On the icon of Smolensk the Blessed Mother holds her Son with her left hand and with her right she points to Him. The Savior holds a scroll in his left hand, and the right one is stretched out to bless him. According to tradition, this icon was painted by the apostle and evangelist Luke. She came to Russia from Constantinople. The Greek Emperor Constantine IX. Monomachus gave his daughter Anna to Prince von Cernigov Jaroslav the Wise as a wife and blessed her with this icon when she set out for Rus ’.

The Mother of God of the Sign of Novgorod with six saints (March 8, September 8, November 27) – The depiction goes back to a marble relief of the Mother of God in an ornamental position, which was located at the largest Marian pilgrimage site, the Blacherner Church in Constantinople. The most famous replica helped the residents of Novgorod to defend the city in 1170 while fighting against the attacking armies from Vladimir-Sustal. Johann, Archbishop of Novgorod, instructed the residents, based on a vision, to carry the icon in a procession on the city wall around the city and to set it up on the battlement. The city was spared. The Mother of God is depicted in an oranten position and carries Jesus as so-called Emmanuel on her chest in an aureole. The subject is widespread and very revered in Russia.