Mother Of God Vimatarissa - Replica of Miraculous Icon

Mother Of God Vimatarissa Replica of Miraculous Icon

Icon's History

The icon of Panagia Vimatarissa is located at the Throne of the sanctuary and is associated with the following tradition. In the 10th century, during an Arab raid on the Monastery, Deacon-Monk Sabbas, who was the sacristan at the time, managed to hide the icon and the cross of Constantine the Great in the well of the sanctuary, placing a lit candle in front of them. The Arabs plundered the Monastery, and Deacon Sabbas was taken as a prisoner to Crete, from where he was liberated after seventy years and returned to the Monastery. The new monks, unaware of the hidden treasures, opened the well on his instructions and found the icon and the cross standing upright on the water, with the candle still burning,

This icon is also known as "Ktitorissa" because its discovery occurred during the time of the Monastery's three founders, Athanasius, Nicholas, and Anthony. In commemoration of this miracle, a supplicatory canon to the All-holy Theotokos is chanted every Monday evening, and every Tuesday, the Divine Liturgy is celebrated in the main church. Another incident is also associated with this icon.

Once, a monk was struggling to understand the meaning of the verse: "a thousand years in Your eyes, Lord, are like the day before yesterday," and he was saddened that he couldn't find anyone to explain it to him. Coincidentally, at that time, the former Patriarchs of Constantinople, Cyril and Cyprian, were staying at the Monastery, along with many monks from Mount Athos, to receive their blessings. During the feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, celebrated by the Monastery, while Patriarch Cyril was going to venerate the holy relics after the customary blessing, the aforementioned monk heard a voice coming from the icon of Vimatarissa, explaining the exact meaning of the verse. Overwhelmed with gratitude for the miraculous solution to his question, he tearfully thanked the Theotokos.

 

Icon Materials

• The images are constructed from copper, silver-plated with 999/1000 silver, and gold-plated with Au 24-karat gold.
• The frames on the images with glass are made of synthetic material to avoid woodworm or other parasites. They do not require a pest control certificate.
• The rest are made from MDF, lined with high-quality veneer.
• The faces are silk-screen printed or, where this is not possible in order to accurately depict the face, digitally printed with UV colors that remain unchanged over time.