Icons of Mary holding her Son Jesus have been popular since the Council of Ephesus which in 431 solemnly declared Mary to be the Theotokos or Mother of God.
St. Luke was the first one who painted the "Theotokos", "Mother of God", while she was still alive. He is credited with three icons of the "Panagia", in one case using the wooden table where Mary and St. John ate their meals.
Throughout history, many Icons of the Most Holy Mother of God have had miracles attributed to them.
In addition, there are those Icons which may not have been miracle working, but still been venerated with the hope of intercession from the Mother of God.
St. Luke was the first one who painted the "Theotokos", "Mother of God", while she was still alive. He is credited with three icons of the "Panagia", in one case using the wooden table where Mary and St. John ate their meals.
Throughout history, many Icons of the Most Holy Mother of God have had miracles attributed to them.
In addition, there are those Icons which may not have been miracle working, but still been venerated with the hope of intercession from the Mother of God.
Kiev-Pechery-Svena
Icon of the Mother of God
Icon of the Mother of God
According to a legend, this icon was painted in 1085 by St.Alimpy, the first Russian icon-painter. It was kept at the Svena Monastery of the Dormition situated not far from the city of Bryansk
In 1288, Prince Roman Mikhailovich of Chernigov, when visiting the cily. lost his sight. He dispatched a messenger to the Kiev-Pechery Monastery, asking to send him a miracle-working icon. Such an icon, accompanied by a priest, was sent him by way of the Desna River.
During the voyage the boat suddenly came to a halt and only after the men accompanying the icon decided to stop for the night on the Svena River did the boat resume moving- That night the icon disappeared. Following a search it was found standing upright amid the branches of an oak-tree on a hill.
Prince Roman, notified about the occurrence, went to that spot and, having offered prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos before the icon, regained his sight. Subsequently the Svena Monastery was founded and a Church of the Dormition was built there
Feast days: May 3/16 and August 17/30.
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