The Mother of God of Kazan
The Mother of God of Kazan

The Mother of God of Kazan


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reference number: RI_072

1850s

vrezok: 17 century

tempera on wooden panel in silver-gilt oklad

32.4 x 27.7 cm

oklad:

work master’s mark: Cyrillic initials T.Z. for T. Zalesov

assay master’s mark: Cyrillic initials D.T. for Dmitry Tverskoy

assay mark of St Petersburg

silver standard: 84 zolotnik

The icon is painted in the traditional style against a gold background and encased in a silver-gilt oklad engraved with foliate motif and mounted with a large similarly decorated halo with a pierced ornament. The Mother of God is depicted tilting her head towards her son standing upright at her side and blessing her with his right hand.

 

The Mother of God of Kazan, a variant of the Greek Hodegetria, is one of the oldest and most venerated images in Orthodox Christianity. The icon of the Mother of God of Kazan is celebrated on July 8th and October 22nd, commemorating its apparition in 1579 in the city of Kazan – formerly the capital of the Tatars – shortly after the city had been conquered by Tsar Ivan IV “The Terrible”

 

According to the tradition, the icon was discovered by a child, Matrona. It was said that the Virgin Mary herself, in an apparition, revealed the object’s underground location to the girl. The original icon was kept in the Theotokos Monastery of Kazan, which was specially built to commemorate the spot where it was found.

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