Virgin Mary icon Panagia Hodegetria, Handmade Greek Orthodox Icon, Mother of God Byzantine art wall hanging, Theotokos icon wood plaque

Bring the spiritual elegance of Byzantine art into your home with this exquisite, handmade Greek Orthodox icon of Virgin Mary Panagia Hodegetria. Crafted with reverence, this piece makes a profound addition to any prayer corner or a deeply meaningful religious gift.

Product Specifications

• Display: Can be hung on a wall or placed on a flat surface.
• Display: The item is sold without the stand depicted.

The Significance of Virgin Mary Panagia Hodegetria

A beautiful icon, crafted on naturally aged wood with Virgin Mary Odigitria. A Hodegetria[a], or Virgin Hodegetria, is an iconographic depiction of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) holding the Child Jesus at her side while pointing to him as the source of salvation for humankind. The Virgin's head usually inclines towards the child, who raises his hand in a blessing gesture. In the Western Church this type of icon is sometimes called Our Lady of the Way.

The most venerated icon of the Hodegetria type, regarded as the original, was displayed in the Monastery of the Panaghia Hodegetria in Constantinople, which was built specially to contain it. Unlike most later copies it showed the Theotokos standing full-length. It was said to have been brought back from the Holy Land by Eudocia, the wife of emperor Theodosius II (408–450), and to have been painted by Saint Luke the apostle himself. The icon was double-sided, with a crucifixion on the other side, and was "perhaps the most prominent cult object in Byzantium".

The original icon has probably now been lost, although various traditions claim that it was carried to Russia or Italy. There are a great number of copies of the image, including many of the most venerated of Russian icons, which have themselves acquired their own status and tradition of copying.

This wonderful icon has been created with the technique of lithography. The creator of this icon learned the canon of iconography in the workshops of the monasteries of Mount Athos, where he was taught both lithography and hand-ageing.