On Saturday of the fifth week of Great Lent, the Orthodox Church performs non-sedal singing to the image of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Virgin Mary on the throne and the Dormition Icon of the Mother of God with the Child on the Throne

Doctor of Historical Sciences

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Two common types of icons of the Mother of God are also the image of the Mother of God on the Throne, or the All-Merciful Mother of God, where She is represented as the Queen of Heaven, Who can have mercy on Christians who turn to Her, respond to their requests, and give them spiritual strength to perform some deeds. Therefore, the Mother of God on the Throne is very often found both as temple icons and in homes. In addition to icons, this type of image of the Virgin Mary is very often present in mosaics, especially Byzantine ones, and frescoes.

The last moment in the earthly life of the Mother of God is Her Dormition. This is also the name of a special type of icon. Moreover, it is worth paying attention to the word “dormition”. Not death, but rather dormition. In general, this is not so much a sad event as a logical one - Jesus Himself came for the soul of the Mother of God, and Her soul is depicted as a baby swaddled in completely white swaddling clothes. That is, the soul is pure, like that of a newborn baby. The Mother of God is ascended by Her Son to the Heavenly City and turns into that very Queen of Heaven on the Throne, the type of icon of which I described before.

Around the tomb where the body of the Mother of God lies - because on the Assumption icons both the soul of the Mother of God and Her body are simultaneously present - stand the apostles. All but one. This is the Apostle Thomas, who was not in time for this event and did not say goodbye to the Mother of God. And in order not to offend him, and not to plunge him into sadness, it was to Thomas that the Mother of God left Her famous belt, which he later took. By the way, according to legend, part of this belt is located here, in a temple located next to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. But for some reason, believers are not very well aware of this, and for some reason there are no gigantic queues for a piece of this belt, which is always located in Moscow, in the church on 2nd Obydensky Lane.

In addition to the famous, very often used images of the Dormition of the Mother of God, the Most Merciful Mother of God on the Throne, the Great Panagia, the Mother of God Hodegetria, Oranta, Tenderness, there are even less common, but quite well-known images.

For example, the icon “Our Lady of the Burning Bush,” where the Mother of God is depicted in a flaming diamond, and, in fact, this is a reference to the moment in the Old Testament, where God speaks to the prophet Moses in the form of a burning bush from which a voice came. In this case, a parallel is drawn between the New Testament and the Old.

There are also images of the Mother of God “Inexhaustible Chalice”, “Quench my sorrows”, “Joy of all who mourn”, “Unexpected joy”, etc. In general, the typology of images of the Mother of God is very diverse, not to mention the fact that there are individual icons depicting the stages of the life of the Mother of God, starting from Her birth and introduction into the temple, right up to the Dormition of the Mother of God.

A wonderful, touching Christian legend is associated with the image of the Mother of God, and in particular its widespread type - “Tenderness”, which includes the famous Our Lady of Vladimir. It says that the first icon painter was one of Christ’s disciples, namely the Apostle Luke. The first image he painted was precisely the image of the Virgin Mary. Moreover, it was written on the tabletop at which both the Mother of God and the apostles ate. And after the Dormition and Ascension of the Mother of God, the Apostle Luke wrote on this tabletop the image of the Mother of God “Tenderness”. The Vladimir Mother of God, in its typology, was considered a derivative of that first icon, which was painted by the Apostle Luke very soon after the events about which the Gospel tells, that is, in the 1st century AD.

My spirit rejoiced in God My Savior,
that He looked upon the humility of His Servant,
for from now on all generations will call Me blessed.
(Luke 1:47-48)

Tradition dates the first images of the Mother of God to early Christian times, calling the first author of Her icons the Apostle and Evangelist Luke, but the icons he painted have not reached our time, and we can only reliably speak about the later lists of first-painted icons of the Blessed Virgin, which reproduce with more or less accuracy the ancient iconographic types created by the beloved physician (Col. 4:14) and the colleague (Phil. 1:24) of the Apostle Paul. L.A. Uspensky says this about the icons attributed to the Evangelist Luke: “The authorship of the holy Evangelist Luke must be understood in the sense that the icons are lists (or rather, lists from lists) of icons once painted by the evangelist” [Uspensky, p. 29].

The earliest known images of the Mother of God date back to the 2nd century. - they are not among the lists of icons of the Apostle Luke; These are images of the Nativity of Christ in the Roman catacombs. As N.P. Kondakov noted, “the main iconographic type of the Mother of God in the second and third centuries remains her original and most important image with the Child in her arms, sitting in front of the worshiping Magi” [Kondakov, p. 14].

The first icons of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared where Her earthly life took place - in Palestine, but already in the first decades of the existence of Constantinople, all the main shrines associated with Her moved to this city - the new capital of the empire that accepted Christ [Kvlividze, p. 501]. In Byzantium, veneration of the Mother of God as the Patroness of the capital developed: Preserve Your City, Most Pure Mother of God; in You, this one reigns faithfully, in You he is established, and through You he conquers, overcomes every temptation... The words of the 9th Canto of the Theotokos of the Great Canon contain a reminder that the veneration of the Most Holy Theotokos in Constantinople was repeatedly tested for loyalty: through the fervent prayer of the inhabitants in front of the revered icons of the Most Pure Virgin hail persisted. Most of the shrines associated with the Mother of God were located in the church dedicated to Her in Blachernae, a suburb of the capital. Among those who were exposed city ​​of temptations, there were also ancient Slavs; their campaigns - both “successful” (ending with the plunder of the city) and unsuccessful ones - were, apparently, the first contacts of our ancestors with the faith and veneration of She who would later choose the Russian land as one of Her earthly inheritances.

After the Third Ecumenical Council (431), which dogmatically established the name of the Blessed Virgin Mother of God, Her veneration became widespread throughout the Christian world. From the 6th century veneration of the Mother of God was no longer conceivable without Her holy icons. The main types of icons of the Mother of God developed in the pre-iconoclastic period and probably represented a creative development of the original images created by the Apostle Luke.

The first scenes depicting the Virgin Mary ("Nativity of Christ" and "Adoration of the Magi") in the Roman catacombs of Priscilla (II-IV centuries) were of a historical nature; they illustrated the events of sacred History, but in essence were not yet the shrines in front of which Christian prayers were offered to the Most Pure Virgin. Kondakov spoke about the development of the iconography of the Mother of God: “The icon of the Mother of God, in addition to the character and type depicted in it, gradually acquires, along with the progress of Christian art and the development of its role in it (approximately from the 5th century), a special feature drawn on It is by the very attitude of the prayer minister towards it, by which it becomes a “prayer” icon. Having begun with an indifferently cold representation of a historical nature, the icon in general, and the icon of the Mother of God in particular, changes, as if according to the demands and needs of the one who prays to it” [Kondakov. , With. 5].

Probably, the “line” separating the illustrative-historical images of the Mother of God and prayer icons is the iconographic type “Theotokos on the Throne,” which appeared already in the catacombs of Priscilla in the 4th century. In the unpreserved fresco of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome (432-440), the enthroned Virgin Mary with the Child Christ was represented in the conch of the apse - this temple was the first built after the Council of 431 - and the Church, having overcome the heresy of Nestorius, prayed in to the Most Pure Virgin Mary as the Mother of God [Lazarev, p. 32].

From the middle of the 5th century. images of the Virgin Mary on the throne, and then Her images with the Infant Christ, become typical for painting the altar of churches: the Euphrasian Cathedral in Porec, Croatia (543-553); Church of Panagia Kanakarias in Lythrangomi, Cyprus (2nd quarter of the 6th century); Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna; Church of the Great Martyr Demetrius in Thessalonica (both 6th century). In the VI century. such an image appears on icons (monastery of the Great Church of Catherine in Sinai) [Kvlividze, p. 502].

Another type of image of the Mother of God known since early Christian times is called Oranta. The Most Pure Virgin is depicted in this case without the Infant God, with her hands raised in prayer. Thus, the Virgin Mary is depicted on ampoules from the treasury of the Cathedral of Bobbio (Italy), on the relief of the door of the Church of Santa Sabina in Rome (c. 430), on a miniature from the Gospel of Ravbula (586), on the frescoes of the apse of the monastery of St. Apollonius in Bauita ( Egypt, 6th century) and the San Venanzio Chapel in Rome (c. 642), as well as on the bottoms of glass vessels [Kvlividze, p. 502, Kondakov, p. 76-81]. Our Lady of Oranta often appears in church paintings in the pre-iconoclastic era - usually in the composition of the Ascension of the Lord - and for a long time remains one of the favorite images (Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople, Church of the Assumption in Nicaea, Church of St. Sophia in Thessalonica, St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice ).

It is this type of image that is among the first to appear in Rus': in the Transfiguration Church of the Pskov Mirozhsky Monastery, in the Church of St. George in Staraya Ladoga and the Novgorod Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Savior on Nereditsa) [Lazarev, p. 63].

The earliest surviving images of the Mother of God in church painting are the mosaics of the Kyiv St. Sophia Cathedral. The Hypatiev Chronicle reports about the founding of this majestic temple in 1037: “Yaroslav founded the great city of Kyiv... also founded the Church of St. Sophia, the Wisdom of God, as the metropolis.” Another chronicle, Gustynskaya, says that “the beautiful church of St. Sophia” was decorated with “all beauty, gold and precious stones, icons and crosses...” [cit. from: Etingof, p. 71-72]. The mosaics of Sophia of Kyiv were created in 1043-1046. Byzantine masters. The temple was conceived as a Metropolitan Cathedral and fully corresponded to its purpose - it was the main temple of Holy Rus'.

The five-meter image of the Mother of God in Sophia of Kyiv was called the “Unbreakable Wall”. Along the edge of the apse, in which the Mother of God is depicted, there is an inscription: God is in his midst, and does not move, God will help him in the morning(Ps. 45:6). The Russian people, taking their first steps in their Christian history, perceived the Mother of God as their Heavenly Patroness. Our Lady of Oranta, praying with raised hands, was perceived as the personification of the Earthly Church - and at the same time as a Heavenly intercessor and prayer book for the Earthly Church. Images of the Mother of God in the decoration of Sophia of Kyiv appear repeatedly [Lazarev, p. 64].

The name Oranta also bears another ancient image of the Mother of God - this is the icon “Yaroslavl Oranta” (XII century, Tretyakov Gallery). This iconographic type was known in Constantinople as Blachernitissa. The name Oranta was given to this icon by mistake by one of its first researchers, A. I. Anisimov. The icon was found in the “junk” storeroom of the Spassky Monastery in Yaroslavl. This type in the literature on Byzantine iconography is called the Great Panagia [Kondakov, vol. 2, p. 63-84; 114]. In Ancient Rus', such an image was called the Mother of God the Incarnation [Antonova, p. 52]. Our Lady stands on an oval ornamented red pedestal with her arms raised; On Her chest there is a golden disk with a half-length image of the Savior Emmanuel. The Divine Infant blesses with both hands with a name-based blessing. In the upper corners of the icon there are round marks with images of the archangels Michael and Gabriel holding mirrors with a cross in their hands. In the literature there are different opinions about the time and place of painting of the icon: from the beginning of the 12th century. (Kyiv) until the first third of the 13th century. (Vladimir Rus') [Antonova, vol. 1, p. 51-53; Old Russian history, p. 68-70].

Kondakov points out that this iconographic type with the image of the Mother of God with raised hands and the Eternal Child in a circle on Her chest has examples in early Christian art of the 6th-7th centuries, and then became widespread again in the 10th-12th centuries. [Kondakov, vol. 2, p. 110-111]. In Rus', such an image was found in the unpreserved painting of the Church of the Savior on Nereditsa (1199).

One of the most famous and, undoubtedly, the most revered in central Rus' was the icon of the Mother of God, called Vladimir, brought to Rus' in the first third of the 13th century. Her fate was dramatic. In 1155, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky moved it from Vyshgorod to Vladimir, decorated it with an expensive frame and placed it in the Assumption Cathedral, built in the middle of the 12th century. After the murder of Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky in 1176, Prince Yaropolk removed the expensive decoration from the icon, and it ended up with Prince Gleb of Ryazan. Only after the victory of Prince Mikhail, the younger brother of Andrei Bogolyubsky, over Yaropolk, Gleb returned the icon and setting to Vladimir. When Vladimir was captured by the Tatars, during the fire of the Assumption Cathedral in 1237, the cathedral was plundered, and the frame was again torn off from the icon of the Mother of God. In 1395, during the invasion of Tamerlane, the icon was brought to Moscow, and on the same day (August 26) Tamerlane retreated from Moscow and left the Russian state. Later, the icon was in the iconostasis of the main church of the country - the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. In 1812, in front of the ancient shrine, taken to Murom, they prayed for deliverance from the invasion two dozen languages. In 1918, the icon was taken from the Assumption Cathedral; now it is in the Tretyakov Gallery. In 1993, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II offered fervent prayers before the Vladimir Icon - the country was in danger of being plunged into the abyss of a new civil war.

The Vladimir icon belongs to the iconographic type of Tenderness (Eleusa). The composition, known since early Christian times, became widespread in the 11th century. Together with Vladimirskaya, another icon of the Mother of God, called Pirogoshcha, was brought to Kyiv (a church was built for it). The Ipatiev Chronicle under 1132 says: “This summer the Holy Mother of God, recommended by Pirogoshcha, was laid in stone.” Images of the Mother of God Eleusa (Merciful), Glycophilus (Sweet kiss; in the Russian tradition Tenderness), also known as Blachernitissa (12th century icon, in the monastery of the Martyr Catherine on Sinai), where the Mother of God and the Child are depicted mutually caressing (fresco of the church of Tokala -Kilis, Cappadocia (10th century), Vladimir, Tolga, Don Icons of the Mother of God, etc.), spread in the post-iconoclast period. This type of image emphasizes the theme of motherhood and the future suffering of the Infant God [Kvlividze, p. 503].

Another well-known - and just as revered in the western borders of Rus' as Vladimir in its central part - is the image of the Virgin Hodegetria, or Guide. It received its name from the Constantinople temple of Odigon, where it was one of the revered shrines.

According to legend, it was written by the Evangelist Luke and sent from Jerusalem by Empress Eudoxia. The earliest image of Hodegetria has been preserved in miniature from the Gospel of Ravbula (folio 289 - full-length). On icons of this type, the Mother of God holds the Child in her left hand, her right hand is extended to him in prayer [Kvlividze, p. 503].

One of the revered images of the Novgorod land was the icon of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, called Ustyug (30s of the 12th century, Tretyakov Gallery). The name is associated with the legend that the icon, located in the St. George Cathedral of the Novgorod Yuriev Monastery, comes from Veliky Ustyug and it was in front of it that blessed Procopius of Ustyug prayed in 1290 for the deliverance of the city “from the stone cloud.” Together with other Novgorod shrines, the icon of the Annunciation was brought to Moscow by Ivan the Terrible [Old Russian history, p. 47-50].

The iconographic original reports about the Ustyug Annunciation: “The Son was imagined in the chest of the Most Pure One,” that is, the Incarnation is depicted on the icon. As from the conversion of the scarlet, O most pure, intelligent Scarlet of Emmanuel, the flesh was consumed within in Thy womb; Moreover, we truly honor Theotokos You(Reverend Andrew of Crete). Icons of the Mother of God, clearly illustrating the dogma of the Incarnation, have enjoyed reverent prayerful veneration since ancient times. Let's call here a fresco from the mid-12th century. in the altar of the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Mirozh Monastery in Pskov, as well as the favorite iconographic type of Novgorodians - icons of the Mother of God of the Sign, glorified by many miracles. The portable icon of the Sign (1169), located in the Novgorod Museum, belongs to the iconographic type of Our Lady of the Great Panagia. The name of the icon “The Sign”, established in Rus', goes back to the chronically documented miracle that took place in 1170 from the revered Novgorod icon during the siege of Veliky Novgorod by the Suzdalians. Thanks to Her intercession Mister Veliky Novgorod was freed from trouble.

The Kiev icon of the second half of the 13th century also belongs to the same iconographic tradition. - Our Lady of Pechersk (Svenskaya) with the upcoming Saints Anthony and Theodosius. The icon was located in the Svensky Monastery not far from Bryansk, where, according to legend, the Chernigov prince Roman Mikhailovich, who founded a monastery in that place, was healed of blindness in 1288. The same legend says that the icon was brought to the new monastery from the Kyiv Dormition Pechersk Monastery, where it was painted at the beginning of the 12th century. Venerable Alypius of Pechersk. It should be noted that the Svensk Icon is the oldest image of the founders of Russian monasticism. The text on a fairly well-preserved scroll, which the Monk Anthony holds in his hands, reads: “I pray to you this way, children: let us maintain abstinence and not be lazy, having the Lord as our helper in this” [Old Russian claim., p. 70-72].

One of the early researchers of Russian icon painting, Ivan Mikhailovich Snegirev, in a letter to the founder of Russian archeology, Count A. S. Uvarov, wrote: “The history of icon painting is inextricably linked with the history of our Christianity. It entered Rus' from Byzantium hand in hand with the Cross and the Gospel ". In ancient times, Rus' did not know the iconoclastic heresy; it had to endure this tragedy in the twentieth century. Only a few of those ancient shrines that came to Rus' from Byzantium or were created on Russian soil have survived to this day. And all the more valuable for us, Christians of the third millennium, is knowledge about these shrines, memory and reverent veneration of them.

Bishop Nikolai of Balashikha

Sources and literature:
Antonova V.I., Mneva N.E. Catalog of Old Russian painting of the 11th - early 18th centuries. (State Tretyakov Gallery). T. 1-2. M., 1963.
Djuric V. Byzantine frescoes. Medieval Serbia, Dalmatia, Slavic Macedonia. M., 2000. Old Russian art of the 10th - early 15th centuries. Catalog of the Tretyakov Gallery collection. T. 1. M., 1995.
John of Damascus, St. Three words of defense against those who reject holy icons. Complete collection of creations. T. 1. St. Petersburg, 1913.
Kvlividze N.V. Mother of God: Iconography. PE. T. 5. P. 501-504.
Kolpakova G. S. The Art of Byzantium. T. 1-2. St. Petersburg, 2004.
Kondakov N.P. Iconography of the Mother of God. T. I-II. St. Petersburg, 1914-1915.
Lazarev V.N. History of Byzantine painting. T. 1. M., 1986.
Livshits L.I., Sarabyanov V.D., Tsarevskaya T.Yu. Monumental painting of Veliky Novgorod. The end of the 11th - the first quarter of the 12th century. St. Petersburg, 2004.
Sarabyanov V.D., Smirnova E.S. History of Old Russian painting. M., 2007.
Smirnova E. S. Painting of Veliky Novgorod. Mid-XIII - early XV centuries. M., 1976.
Uspensky L. A. Theology of the icon of the Orthodox Church. Paris, 1989.
Etingof O. E. Image of the Mother of God. Essays on Byzantine iconography of the 11th-13th centuries. M., 2000.

When praying in front of icons, people venerate not the object itself, but what it symbolizes: great saints or religiously significant events. The Mother of God is amazing in this regard - the icons, all the images with her are very different. They are so different, as if we are talking not about one Mother of God, but about many, each of whom endlessly loves people and wants to help them, but does it in her own special way.

Among the huge number of images of the Mother of God, several can be especially highlighted. Each of them has its own history, and they are addressed with different questions, but they are all equally significant for a believer.

Icon of the Mother of God “Iverskaya”

The Iveron Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also called the Goalkeeper or Gatekeeper, since several times in an unknown way it ended up in the icon case above the entrance to the monastery, from where it was never removed. Later, a temple was built at its location, where it is now located.

The icon is easily recognizable because the right cheek of the Mother of God is marked with a bleeding wound. The rest of the plot is more familiar: she holds the baby with her left hand, while her right palm is extended towards him in a prayerful gesture.

It is customary to pray to the Iveron Mother of God for deliverance from all evils and consolation in trouble, salvation from fire, and a good harvest.

The days of veneration of the Goalkeeper are February 25/12, October 26/13, the second day of Easter week (week).

Icon of the Mother of God “Vladimir”

According to one legend, the author of the icon was the Apostle and Evangelist Luke. Upon completion of the work, he showed the work of his hands to the Mother of God and she herself blessed the icon. The image shows the Virgin Mary holding the baby with her right hand, and her left palm only lightly touches the robe of little Jesus, who hugs his mother by the neck. The visible “heel” (foot) of the Savior is considered a “sign” of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.

The image is considered miraculous. It was used during the decree of Russian metropolitans and patriarchs, and acquired the status of the main Russian shrine. They pray to Vladimirskaya for protection from external attacks, for unity and deliverance from false teachings, and reconciliation of enemies.

Days of veneration – 3.06/21.05, 6.07/23.06 and 8.09/26.08.

Icon of the Mother of God “Seven Arrows”

According to its name, the icon depicts the Mother of God pierced by seven arrows. It is believed that a peasant from Kadnikovsky district discovered it in a church bell tower, where they stepped on it, believing that it was an ordinary board. The Seven-Shot Mother of God, an icon, all images of which are difficult to count, has a more famous variety called “Softening Evil Hearts.”

According to some sources, Semistrelnaya’s age is at least 500 years. In 1917, it was located in the St. John the Theologian Church, but was lost and today its location is unknown.

This image of the icon of the Mother of God is prayed for to cure cholera, get rid of lameness and relaxation, and reconcile enemies. Day of veneration – August 13/26.

Icon of the Mother of God “Sovereign”

The image was discovered in one of the churches near Moscow in 1917, on the day when Nicholas II abdicated the throne. Everyone saw a certain sign in this, although the specific interpretation of the event could differ greatly depending on who undertook to talk about it.

On the icon, the Mother of God is depicted as the Heavenly Queen: dressed in red robes, sitting majestically on the royal throne, crowned with a crown and halo. An orb and a scepter rest in her palms, and the baby Jesus sits on her lap. Today the icon is located in Kolomenskoye, in the Church of the “Kazan” Icon of the Mother of God.

The main theme of prayers dedicated to the Sovereign Mother of God is truth. She is asked to be honest in words, deeds, love and to save Russia. Day of veneration – March 2/15.

Some believe that Tikhvinskaya was written during the life of the Mother of God herself. Its distinctive feature can be considered a scroll that the baby holds in one hand. The fingers of the Savior’s other hand are folded in a blessing gesture.

Now the image is placed in the Moscow Tikhvin Church. Lists from it are posted in many other churches, monasteries and temples.

Tikhvinskaya is prayed for the return of vision, the exorcism of demons, the healing of children and relief from joint laxity in case of paralysis. Day of veneration – June 26/9.

The first mention of the image is associated with the 12th century. The story goes that after Batu’s attack on the Gorodetsky Monastery, everything turned to ashes, but the icon remained absolutely unharmed. Later, Vasily of Kostroma, who saw the appearance of the Mother of God, transported the image to Kostroma, to the Cathedral of Theodore Strastilates. This gave it its now famous name.

In the icon, the Savior is on the right hand of the Mother of God. With her right palm, the Mother of God supports his leg. The baby himself presses his face to the Mother and hugs her neck with his left hand.

You need to pray to the Theodore Mother of God for a successful resolution of difficult childbirth. Days of veneration: March 27/14 and August 29/16.

The Quick Hearer in some ways resembles the Tikhvin Mother of God (she is also an image of the Hodegetria type - Guide). It is considered one of the miraculous icons. The place of creation of the Quick Hearer is the holy Mount Athos, and now she resides within the walls of the Dokhiar monastery.

The story associated with this image tells of a monk who, out of stupid interest, smoked the face of the Virgin Mary. For this he was deprived of his sight. With prolonged prayers, the monk was able to return it, and since then the icon has been “hearing” the requests of all those suffering and helping them.

You need to pray to the Quick Hearer, first of all, for a cure for blindness, lameness and relaxation, as well as for deliverance from captivity and the salvation of people caught in a shipwreck. Day of veneration – November 9/22.

The icon “The Mother of God on the Throne” (another name is “The Virgin Mary on the Throne”) - can be drawn in any of the iconographic styles - be it Panahranta or Tenderness, or the Sign, or in another style. This type of icon depicts the Mother of God on the throne with the Child on her lap. The symbolism lies in the fact that the Mother of God and the Child depict the ideal Church celebrating Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The Mother of God, with her head covered, holds the Divine Child in a majestic pose; Her entire pose shows rigor, restraint and self-control. The throne in this type of icon perfectly symbolizes the royal greatness of the Mother of God.

The origin of the main types of images of the Mother of God, who sits evenly on a throne and holds the Child on her lap, dates back to the 3rd-4th centuries. This is the first type of prayer image of the Mother of God. It appeared in the catacombs of Priscila, where a woman is depicted sitting holding a naked baby in her arms. This image is interpreted as the image of the Virgin Mary. For the first time in Christian art, in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, which is located in Rome, this image appeared in the altar part of the temple.

Russian icon painters and masters of church painting adopted the type of icon of the Mother of God and Child on the throne and began to depict them surrounded by saints or angels. However, this type did not take root much in Russia and could be encountered not spontaneously, but in some places, sporadically.

In church art, on the contrary, the image of the Mother of God on the throne in the asp of the temple was considered traditional. Dionysius used this motif to decorate the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary at the Ferapontov Monastery. They connect this to the spirit of the times, when the Grand Duke of Moscow was proclaimed Sovereign and Autocrat of All Rus'.

The image of the Mother of God on the throne received a second round in its development during the reign of empresses in Russia, during the Russian Baroque era. The scepter and orb, as a symbol of earthly royal power, appeared on the icon, but those present (angels and saints) disappeared. Iconographic signs of the icon began to appear, which a hundred years later received the name “Sovereign” and is considered one of the most famous icons of this type.

Another, no less famous icon is “The Tsaritsa”. It was written in the 12th century and was kept for almost 200 years on Mount Athos, in the Vatopedi monastery. Christians began to notice that after praying in front of this icon, healings from cancer occur, so this icon is considered miraculous.
There is a legend - a young man appeared in front of the icon of the Mother of God “The All-Tsarina” and began to mutter something incomprehensible. At some point, the face of the Mother of God flashed like lightning, and the young man flew away from the icon and fell to the ground. When he came to his senses, he confessed and said that he had been practicing magic, was far from the church and God, and had come to the monastery to test his powers on icons. The incident that happened to him convinced the guy to change, to change his whole life - he stayed on the Holy Mountain and became a monk. This was the icon's first manifestation of its power.
Subsequently, they began to notice that the icon healed from malignant tumors, so people came to it with requests and pleas for healing.