Virgin Mary icon & Saint John icon diptych, Mother of God Orthodox icon, Greek Handmade icon, Byzantine icon, wedding gift ideas 20x14cm

A beautiful icon, crafted on naturally aged wood with Virgin Mary Glykophilousa / Glykofilousa & Saint John the Baptist.

According to tradition, the original icon of Virgin Mary / Panagia the Glykophilousa was rescued during the iconoclastic period and was transferred to Mount Athos. She allegedly belonged to Victoria, the wife of a senator, who in her attempt to save the icon, threw it in the sea. According to the tradition, the icon sailed upright in the waves until it finally reached the coastline of Monastery of Filotheos in mount Athos, where it was spotted and picked up by the monks of the monastery. On Easter Monday there is a litany of the icon from the Holy Monastery to the spot where it was found. It is worth mentioning that the nickname Glykophilousa is one of about 500 names attributed to the Virgin Mary, which is one of the most beloved figures of the Orthodox Church.

Saint John the Baptist is a holy figure that became one of the most revered saints in the Orthodox Church as he was the one who announced the coming day of the Lord. His face is depicted disheveled and his beard sparse. His expression is strict and serious. His hands and his body are portrayed fleshless, because according to the scriptures, his food in the desert was locusts and wild honey. His face is painted scrawny and dark skinned in order to declare the intense heat of the desert. He is wearing clothes made of camel hair and his own head is lying on the ground, in a display that refers to the end of his life.

Herodias, daughter of the living brother of Herod, Philip, advised her daughter Salome to ask as a gift from her stepfather, the head of Prophet John in a dish, since his words troubled the corrupt minds.

This magnificent icon has been created with the technique of lithography. The creator of this icon has learned the canonization of iconography in workshops of the Monasteries of Mount Athos.

Can be placed on a flat surfac