Panagia Portaitissa

This icon is also available in smaller dimensions, as our Mother of God icon.

The Story Behind This Icon:

The icon of the Panagia Eleoussa (also Virgin of Tenderness) is known for showing mercy. The icon depicts the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus Christ who is nestling against her cheek and wraps his arm around His Mother’s neck. The term “Eleoussa” translates from the Greek “to show mercy”.

***

This icon of the Panagia Eleoussa is reproduced, with permission, from the authentic icon painted by the monks in the Cell of St. John the Theologian Holy Monastery of Koutloumousiou in Mount Athos, Greece. This icon is part of our collection “Icons from Mount Athos”, which features all icons from the Cell of St. John the Theologian.

This icon is made of solid, natural Limewood that has been prepared by hand using traditional methods and organic materials. The background is comprised of 22 Karat gold leaves that were meticulously applied by hand, piece by piece.  

All of our icons are reproduced according to museum print standards and are authentic replicas of Holy Icons from Mount Athos and elsewhere. 

Learn more about how our Holy Icons are made here. 

For larger dimensions, please visit our icon of the Panagia Eloussa. 

This icon is made of solid, natural limewood (Tilia) that has been prepared by hand using traditional methods and organic materials. The background is comprised of 22 Karat gold leaves that were meticulously applied by hand, piece by piece.  

All of our icons are reproduced according to museum print standards and are authentic replicas of Holy Icons from Mount Athos and elsewhere. 

Learn more about how our Holy Icons are made here. 

***

This icon of Mother of God is reproduced, with permission, from the authentic icon painted by the monks in the Cell of St. John the Theologian Holy Monastery of Koutloumousiou in Mount Athos, Greece. This icon is part of our collection “Icons from Mount Athos”, which features all icons from the Cell of St. John the Theologian.

The Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on October 28 (moved by the Church of Greece from October 1 to coincide with “Oxi Day” in honor of the Theotokos’s protection of the Greek armed forces in their resistance of the Axis invasion). This commemorates the miraculous appearance of the Mother of God at the Blachernae Church in Constantinople in the mid-tenth century. It was in this church where the robe, veil and part of the belt of the Theotokos were preserved after being recovered from Palestine in the fifth century. On Sunday October 1, during an all night vigil, when the church was overflowing with the faithful, the Fool-for-Christ Saint Andrew, at four o'clock in the morning, beheld the Theotokos appearing above the people, holding her omophorion outstretched as a protective covering. She was clothed in gold-encrusted royal purple, and shone with an ineffable radiance, surrounded by apostles, saints, martyrs and virgins.

Our Beloved Holy Mother tearfully prayed for Christians for a long time, coming near the bishop's throne to continue her prayer. After, she took her veil and spread it over the people praying in the church, protecting them from enemies visible and invisible, resplendent with heavenly glory and gleaming like the rays of the sun. Saint Andrew gazed trembling at the miraculous vision and asked his disciple, named Epiphanius, standing beside him, "Do you see, brother, the Holy Theotokos, praying for all the world?" Epiphanius answered, "I do see, holy father, and I am in awe."

The Holy Icon pictured here is our Icon of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. On this glorious Feast we implore the defense and assistance of the Queen of Heaven, "Remember us in your prayers, O Lady Virgin Mother of God, that we not perish by the increase of our sins. Protect us from every evil and from grievous woes, for in you do we hope, and venerating the Feast of your Protection, we magnify you."

***

This icon is made of solid, natural Limewood that has been prepared by hand using traditional methods and organic materials. The background is comprised of 22 Karat gold leaves that were meticulously applied by hand, piece by piece.  

All of our icons are reproduced according to museum print standards and are authentic replicas of Holy Icons from Mount Athos and elsewhere. 

Learn more about how our Holy Icons are made here. 

The Story Behind This Icon:

This icon is a replica of the original Holy Virgin Mary Gorgoepikoos, a miraculous wall-painting/icon found in the Docheiariou Monastery on Mount Athos, Greece dating to the 11^th century. Holy Virgin Mary Gorgoepikoos is known for responding quickly to prayers.

In 1646, a monk of the monastery lost his sight after disobeying for the second time the voice of the Icon (which he initially believed was from a human being) commanding him not to pass by the Icon with the smoke from his lighted torch.  Following the loss of his sight, the monk spent his days in front of the Icon praying to the Holy Virgin Mary for forgiveness. His prayers were granted when, for the third time he heard a voice from the Icon: “Today I give you your sight and from this time on, do not pass through here with lighted torches, I am the Guardian of this monastery and I respond quickly to those who call me.  From now on my name is “Gorgoepikoos” (She Who Is Quick to Hear)."  Since then, the Holy Virgin Mary Gorgoepikoos has responded to many prayers with miracles.

The icon is remembered by the church on October 1.

***

This icon is made of solid, natural Limewood that has been prepared by hand using traditional methods and organic materials. The background is comprised of 22 Karat gold leaves that were meticulously applied by hand, piece by piece.  

All of our icons are reproduced according to museum print standards and are authentic replicas of Holy Icons from Mount Athos and elsewhere. 

Learn more about how our Holy Icons are made here. 

Our two most loved icons, Jesus Christ the Lifegiver and Panagia Eleoussa, are presented as a set in a luxurious case, making the most wonderful gift for weddings, baptisms, graduations, housewarmings, retirements as well as for most other occasions, celebrations and life events. 

These icons are also available separately, here and here.

These icons are reproduced, with permission, from the authentic icons painted by the monks of the Cell of St. John the Theologian Holy Monastery of Koutloumousiou in Mount Athos, Greece. These icons are part of our collection “Icons from Mount Athos”, which features all icons from the Cell of St. John the Theologian.

These icons are made of solid, natural limewood that has been prepared by hand using traditional methods and organic materials. The icons background consists of 22 Karat gold leaves that were meticulously applied by hand, piece by piece.  

All of our icons are reproduced according to museum print standards and are authentic replicas of Holy Icons from Mount Athos and elsewhere. 

Learn more about how our Holy Icons are made here. 

The Story Behind This Icon:

This icon is a replica of the original Theotokos Glikofiloussa, “Sweet Kissing”, an icon portraying The Virgin Mary caressing her son.

Just like the icon of Panagia Portaitissa, the original icon was thrown into the sea by a faithful woman when she refused to hand it over during the Byzantine Iconoclasm (8^th & 9^th century). The icon did not sink, and instead traveled upright in the sea from the Dardanelles in northwestern Turkey all the way to Mount Athos, Greece, where it was received with great honor by the Abbot and the fathers of the Philotheou Monastery. A spring of holy water sprouted on the shore at the very spot where the icon was placed.

Many miracles have been reported to this day. To name one, in 1801, a man stole the precious offerings placed around the icon and left Mount Athos in a boat. The boat sailed, but, despite the excellent weather, it remained immobilized in the sea - it would not move any further. When the Abbot realized that the treasures were gone, he sent monks in various directions. Two of them located the immobile ship and recovered the treasures. The man asked for forgiveness, which the monks granted, as they did not want to punish him.

The icon is remembered by the church on Bright Monday.

***

This icon is made of solid, natural Limewood that has been prepared by hand using traditional methods and organic materials. The background is comprised of 22 Karat gold leaves that were meticulously applied by hand, piece by piece.  

All of our icons are reproduced according to museum print standards and are authentic replicas of Holy Icons from Mount Athos and elsewhere. 

Learn more about how our Holy Icons are made here.