Virgin Mary, Life-Giving Spring – Serigraph on Naturally Aged Wood – Mount Athos

Description

Icon of the Virgin Mary, Life-Giving Spring on Naturally Aged Wood

An exquisite depiction of the Virgin Mary, Life-Giving Spring, on naturally aged wood. This wood comes from a cell on Mount Athos, which was replaced due to damage after renovation works. The cracks in the wood bear witness to its long use and to the countless prayers of the monks that echoed uninterrupted for many years. When the time came for it to be replaced, the monks, after necessary restoration, used it as the base for this particular icon.

The Feast of the Life-Giving Spring of the Virgin Mary is celebrated on the Friday of Bright Week, after Pascha. This feast was established during the Byzantine period, in the 5th century AD.

In Constantinople, the holy spring of the Virgin Mary was discovered by Emperor Leo I (457-474). Next to it, Leo built a magnificent church dedicated to the Life-Giving Spring, or Source of Life, referring to the Virgin Mary. The Theotokos is called this because she bore in her womb the Giver of Life, Jesus Christ. Therefore, there could be no more fitting name for the spring that continuously gushed forth and had healing effects on the faithful.

The dedication of the church, known to all as the Church of the Virgin Mary of Baloukli, took place on the Friday of Bright Week. In commemoration of this event, the Church established the feast of the Virgin Mary, Life-Giving Spring, to be celebrated every year on the same day.

This is the first feast of the Mother of God after the Resurrection of the Lord. This feast is not so much a remembrance of an important event, but rather a reminder and a celebration of the living reality that the Virgin Mary is the source of life. She brought into the world the Life-Giver Christ, the Savior of the world.

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 by order.

Dimensions: 19 x 31.5 x 2.5 cm.

Origin: Mount Athos