Virgin Mary of Jerusalem Icon – Arched Engraved Silver, Gold & Wood

Description

The icon of the Virgin Mary of Jerusalem, also known as the Panagia Ierosolymitissa, is amongst the most popular icons of the Virgin Mary. The icon can be found in Jerusalem overlooking the Sepulcher of the Mother of God, also known as the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, and is a holy site visited by Christian pilgrims. The original icon was painted by Sister Tatiana, a monastic iconographer at the Holy Monastery of St. Mary Magdalene in the 19th century.
According to writings, the Virgin Mary appeared to Sister Tatiana in a dream, instructing the sister to paint her in an iconographic style. It was unclear at first that this visitor was an apparition of the Theotokos, but as Sister Tatiana started her iconography the woman’s face began to glow and her cloak turned gold. Waking from her sleep, Sister Tatiana went to tell her abbess what had happened and her abbess responded by telling her to go back to sleep and that she could paint the icon the following day. Later, when returning to her cell, Sister Tatiana saw a light beaming from inside her cell, leading her to run and retrieve the abbess. Together they witnessed the light inside the cell come from an icon of the Virgin Mary, which had mysteriously appeared. An apparition of the Theotokos appeared again, telling Sister Tatiana and the abbess that she wished for the icon to be housed in Gethsemane, Jerusalem. The Virgin Mary is shown holding Jesus, with her face leaning toward Him, highlighting her role in directing the faithful to follow Him.