The Synod of the icons of the Mother of God Hodigitria

Icon, Synod of Theotokos Hodegetria Assuage My Sorrows Icon, Russia 18th/19th c. The image of the Mother of God Hodegetria Assuage My Sorrows depicted on the icon is revered by a gathering of saints considered to be especially effective intercessors in sickness and various bodily ailments, among others: brothers Cosmas and Damian, the Martyr Saint Catherine, or the hermit Father Onuphrius. The history of the original icon stretches back to the 17th c. when a copy of an unknown depiction of the Theotokos, described as "Assuage My Sorrows", was brought from Shklow in the Mogilev Region of Belarus to Moscow and placed in the Church of St. Nicholas in Pupyshevo, located across the Moskva river, opposite the Kremlin. The painting, placed in the belfry because of the construction of a new church, was forgotten in the meantime. The painting only regained its cult in 1760 when it became known as wonderworking thanks to a miraculous healing of a paralysed woman - see S.12813MŁ. In the original Assuage My Sorrows image (see S.12677MŁ), the Mother of God Hodegetria assumes a characteristic pose - she holds up Christ in her right hand and touches her face with her left as if listening for supplication prayers of those in need. The popularity of the icon is evidenced by the numerous copies made for household use. Many of them are mirror versions with the Child on the left side, as can be seen on the presented icon. Teresa Bagińska-Żurawska https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9243-3967