Description
Icon of the Virgin Glykophilousa on Naturally Aged Wood
The monk iconographer here depicts one of the sweetest forms of the Virgin Mary, the Glykophilousa, holding the infant Jesus in her arms.
This beautiful icon is named Glykophilousa because the Theotokos is shown gently pressing her cheek against the cheek of the little Christ, almost ready to kiss Him. According to Orthodox tradition, the icon of the Virgin Glykophilousa, like the Portaitissa, is one of those icons that survived the iconoclasm and was miraculously brought to Mount Athos.
The icon of the Virgin Glykophilousa belonged to Victoria, the wife of a senator, who, in an attempt to save it, threw it into the sea. The icon, floating upright in the waves, reached the dock of the Monastery of Filotheou. The original icon is double-faced, with the Crucifixion on the back, and is housed in a pillar of the Catholicon.
The naturally aged wood, which for many years “served” the monks in a cell on Mount Athos, is now transformed into this unique work of art. After the renovation of cells in the Athonite community, the monks keep many pieces of wood, which they process and preserve using the techniques they apply to the wooden iconostases of the monasteries. In this way, the wood is not allowed to complete its life cycle but is instead transformed into the base for collectible icons, which, through the “Athonite Heritage,” carry a small piece of history beyond the borders of Mount Athos.
Since the icon is handmade and the wood processing is done by hand, there may be slight variations in the wood, but not in the depiction.
The icon is available upon request.
Origin: Mount Athos
Dimensions: 20 x 26 x 2 cm
