Description

Panagia Seven Swords: The History of the Icon

In this most unusual icon, the Virgin Mary is depicted with her heart pierced by seven swords. In the more common iconographic type, we see four swords on her left and three on her right.

Because Catholics have adopted the devotion to the “Heart of the Theotokos,” many believe that the Panagia Seven Swords icon has Catholic origins. In reality, however, the icon relates to the prophecy of Saint Simeon the God-receiver, as recorded by the Evangelist Luke: “and a sword will pierce your own soul also…” (Luke 2:35).

This passage refers to the sorrow that the Virgin Mary would feel at the moment of parting from her beloved Son, when, before her eyes, He would be led to His crucifixion and death.

Panagia Seven Swords is also known as “The Prophecy of the Righteous Simeon.” It is celebrated by the Church on August 13th.

Aged Lithograph: Characteristics

Using a lithographed copy of Byzantine art, the iconographer, a monk from Mount Athos, created this work following the traditional method of artificial aging, which is practiced in the Garden of the Virgin Mary.