Late 14th century

Copy

According to the legend, ‘The Virgin Hodegetria’ was brought by Kirill from Moscow and was considered to be a miracle-working icon later.

‘Hodegetria’ is a Greek term meaning ‘the One who Shows the Way’. It is an iconographic depiction of the Virgin holding 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.

This icon protected the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, the town of Kirillov and the Kirillov district. The first religious procession with the miracle-working icon was held around Kirillov on July 28, 1854, during the cholera epidemic. 

Layers of later overpaint were removed in the Central State Restoration Workshop in 1926; the original painting was restored by the restorer E.A. Pogrebnyak (State Tretyakov Gallery) in 1991-1998.

The original icon is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery.