“The Virgin Mary of the Protection (Panagia Skope) – Silk Screen Print on Naturally Aged Wood – Mount Athos”

Description

Image of the Holy Protection (Panagia Skope) on Naturally Aged Wood
A magnificent silk-screen print of the Holy Protection (Panagia Skope), created on naturally aged wood.

The feast of the Holy Protection (October 28th) is one of the three ecclesiastical feasts that honor the vestments of the Virgin Mary. The other two feasts are the Feast of the Precious Robe (July 2nd) and the Feast of the Precious Belt (August 31st).

The feast of the Holy Protection is associated with the appearance of the Virgin Mary in a vision at the Church of the Blachernai in Constantinople during the reign of Emperor Leo VI the Wise (886–911).

According to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared at the Blachernai Church during an all-night vigil in front of the venerable Andrew the Fool-for-Christ (May 28th) and his companion Epiphanius. She was surrounded by a multitude of saints who were chanting hymns and was supported by St. John the Baptist. The Virgin Mary, after kneeling and praying, removed her veil from her head and spread it as a protective canopy (Skope) over the people. After putting it back on, she left the church accompanied by her heavenly hosts.

This event quickly spread throughout Constantinople during a time when the city was under threat from the Arabs (referred to as “Saracens” in Byzantine sources), giving the citizens courage and hope. When the danger passed, the salvation of the imperial city was attributed to the intervention of the Virgin Mary, and the Church established the event as a feast dedicated to the Mother of God, to be celebrated on October 1st.

On October 17th, 1952, the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, following a proposal by Archbishop Spyridon, decided to move the feast of the Holy Protection from October 1st to October 28th, so that it would coincide with Greece’s National Day (“Ochi Day”), the anniversary of Greece’s resistance to the Italian-German occupation.

Through “Agioritiki Kleronomia”, these collectible icons, crafted on naturally aged wood from renovated cells of Mount Athos, can now be cherished by those who long to hold a piece of the living Athonite tradition.

Important Notes:

Handmade Image: As the image is handmade, and the wood is processed by hand, small variations in the wood may exist, though there will be no differences in the depiction of the image.
Available by Special Order: The image is available upon request.
Dimensions: 25 x 30 x 2.5 cm