Virgin Mary Zoodochos Pigi – Life Giving Well Silk Screen Icon – Gold & Engraved Wood

Description

The icon of the Virgin Mary Zoodochos Pigi, also called the Mother of God of the Life-giving spring, is a Greek Orthodox icon referencing the miracle of the sacred spring in Constantinople. According to tradition, Leo Marcellus – a soldier at the time, but would later become a Byzantine Emperor – was walking through a grove when he stumbled upon a blind man. The man, who was lost in the grove, needed help to find his way out, so Leo led him to the path to sit in the shade while he went to find some water to give the man. While Leo was looking for water he heard a voice say, “Do not trouble yourself, Leo, to look for water elsewhere, it is right here.” But Leo could not see any water, nor find where the voice came from. Confused, he continued on his search, only to hear the voice again, this time saying, “Leo, Emperor, go into the grove, take the water which you will find and give it to the thirsty man. Then take the mud and put it on the blind man’s eyes… and build a temple here.”

Doing as the voice instructed, Leo went into the grove and found the spring of water. Taking water and mud back to the blind man, Leo placed the mud on the man’s eyes and miraculously the man was able to see. Later, when Leo became Emperor of the Byzantine Empire, he built a church on the site of the spring, where the water was used to perform multiple other miracles and even resurrections. For this reason, the spring was given the name “Life-giving Spring.”

The icon depicts the Virgin Mary and Child in a basin above the Life-giving Spring. As with other icons depicting the Virgin Mary and Child, Mary’s hand is pointing toward Jesus, and He holds His right hand up, performing a blessing. There are two angels, one in each upper corner, below them read the letters, ‘ΜΡ ΘΥ’ and ‘IC XC’, which mean Mother of God and Jesus Christ, respectively. The people depicted below represent those who were healed by the Life-giving Spring. The feast day of the Virgin Mary Zoodochos Pigi is celebrated on Bright Friday, which is the Friday immediately following Greek Orthodox Easter.