22. Mother of God Assuage My Sorrow

Details

Russian, second half 19th century
17.7 x 15.5 cms

Provenance:
Private collection, Germany.

Description:
The icon Mother of God Assuage My Sorrow is a wonderworking icon. The name of the icon ‘Assuage My Sorrow’ is a prayer to the Mother of God for deliverance from many illnesses, physical and spiritual sorrows.

The Mother of God does not carry the Christ Child but holds her hand over Him. With her left hand she makes the well-known blessing gesture and wipes away an imaginary tear. The Christ Child hovers, as it were, before her breast and holds an open scroll in his hands.

The original icon was treasured in the city of Karachev, and has been brought to Moscow by Cossacks in 1640. It was glorified in Moscow by many miracles in the second half of the 18th century. Particularly during the plague in the year 1771.

The Orthodox Church honours the icon with three feast days. The feast of the wonderworking icon on January 25 was established in 1760 to commemorate the healing of a sick women who had seen the icon in a vision. The other two feast days are commemorated on September 25 and October 9.