5 Russian icons of Our Lady (PICS)

Alexandra Guzeva

Jan 07 2025

5 Russian icons of Our Lady (PICS) — Sergei Karpukhin / Sputnik

The Russian Orthodox Church has developed its own iconographic tradition associated with the Mother of God. We highlight the most revered images that can be found in almost any Russian temple below.

1. Our Lady of Vladimir

This image of the Mother of God belongs to the iconographic type of Eleusa (Tender Mercy): The Mother of God is depicted with the Christ Child, who is nestled against her cheek.

According to legend, the first such image was painted by the Evangelist Luke himself and blessed by the Virgin Mary herself. The copy of that icon came to Old Rus’ from Byzantium in circa 1130. And it is one of the earliest preserved icons in Russia.

At first, it was kept in Vyshgorod, not far from Kiev, and it began to be called ‘Vladimirskaya’ (or ‘Our Lady of Vladimir’) after Prince Andrei, the son of Yuri Dolgoruky, took the miraculous image with him to the city of Vladimir. On the way, he witnessed an apparition of the Mother of God and, since then, the nickname Andrei ‘Bogolyubsky’ has stuck to him (literally “the one who loves God”).

The image is associated with many miracles. It was specially brought to Moscow, so that it would protect the city from an invasion by Timur. And, indeed, the commander, for no apparent reason, deployed his troops without reaching the city.

The Mother of God remained in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. And, for Vladimir, famous icon painter Andrei Rublev painted a replica, which became no less venerated.

2. Our Lady of Kazan

This image of the Mother of God belongs to the iconographic type of Hodegetria: the Mother of God holds the Christ Child in her arms, who blesses her with his right hand and holds a scroll in his left hand. This icon is also considered the protector of Russian land.

There is a legend about its miraculous discovery. In the Summer of 1579, after a great fire in the city of Kazan, the Mother of God herself appeared and pointed to the icon. And it was indeed found on the site of a burned house completely untouched by the flames.

Having learned about the miracle, Ivan the Terrible ordered the building of a convent of the Virgin Mary on the site of its discovery. In the Kazan Cathedral, the icon was kept until 1904, when the original was stolen and lost.

During the ‘Time of Troubles’, Kazan residents joined the Minin and Pozharsky militia and brought with them a copy of the icon to Moscow. In 1636, the Kazan Cathedral on the Red Square was built especially for it at the expense of Prince Dmitry Pozharsky.

The Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg, meanwhile, was built for another copy of the icon.

3. Theotokos of Bogolyubovo

This icon belongs to a rather rare Agiosoritissa icon type, where the Virgin Mary is depicted alone, without the Child, and even in full body and height.

When Prince Andrei carried the ‘Vladimir’ icon to Vladimir, he had an apparition of the Mother of God along the way. Since then, the nickname Andrey ‘Bogolyubsky’ stuck with him and the Bogolyubsky Monastery was founded on the site where it happened.

The Vladimir land began to be considered a place of special veneration of the Virgin. Andrey Bogolyubsky was appointed to create a new image, the Theotokos of Bogolyubovo, in memory of the occurrence of the Virgin. It depicts the Virgin Mary in full height with prayerfully folded hands (and without the Christ Child).

It is believed that this is one of the oldest native Russian images and quite rare in iconography. In 2024, the icon reappeared to the public after a long restoration.

The icon has many replicas, which themselves have become miraculous.

4. Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God

Like the Vladimir icon, the Feodorovskaya Icon (or Our Lady of Theodore) belongs to the iconographic type of Eleusa (Tender Mercy). Historians even assumed it was an ancient copy of the Vladimir icon. But, there is a serious difference: on the Feodorovskaya icon, the Christ Child's left leg is exposed up to the knee.

It is not known how this icon was created or who its author is. There is a version that the image originates from the ancient city of Gorodets, which was almost completely burned down during the invasion of the Mongols in the 13th century. There is also a legend about the second finding of the icon. Allegedly, it appeared to one of the princes of the Rurikovich family. This immediately determined its status as a protector of princes and authorities.

The name of the icon, ‘Fedorovskaya’, is also connected with these legends. One of the most widespread is that the prince to whom the icon appeared had the baptist name Fedor (Theodore).

The icon caused many miracles and was recognized as the protector of Russian princes. And, in 1613, after the ‘Time of Troubles’, Tsar Mikhail Romanov (the first of the dynasty) was elected to reign. So, the boyars took the Fedorovskaya Icon with them to the Kostroma Ipatiev Monastery, where Mikhail was then staying, to formally ask him to become tsar.

Since then, it has been considered the main shrine of the Romanovs. And many monarchs, including Nicholas II went on pilgrimage to Kostroma. A replica of the icon is also kept in the restored Gorodets, while several churches throughout Russia are consecrated in honor of the icon.

5. Wonderworking Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God (Our Lady of Kursk)

We have before us another iconographic type of the Mother of God: Orans (or Sign). On such icons the Mother of God stands lifting up holy hands in prayer, while the Christ Child is depicted on a medallion on her chest.

The fate of this icon remains an adventure story. It survived many fires, wars and even a bomb explosion organized by revolutionary terrorists.

According to legend, the icon was found on the day of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary on September 8, 1295. This date is still celebrated as the day of finding the icon. In those years, Russia was subjected to the raids of the Mongols and, not far from Kursk, destroyed and burned by them, a hunter found the icon at the root of a tree (Hence, it is called ‘Root’.)

The fame of the icon went all over Russia and St. Seraphim of Sarov, for example, owed his miraculous recovery to the image.

Unfortunately, since the Civil War, the icon is no longer in Russia, as the clergy fled with it from the Bolsheviks to Europe and then to the U.S. Since 1950, the icon's home has been in New York and it is the main shrine of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. The Synodal Cathedral of the Sign was built especially for the icon in Manhattan.

However, in recent history, the icon has visited Russia. While, in its native Kursk, a procession with an ancient replica of the icon is still held every year.