The Mother of God of Eleus

One of the most famous images of the Mother of God with Child in the Russian Orthodox Church is the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God – see S.12685MŁ, S.1208MŁ. The medieval prototype of the icon, which dates back to the reign of the Rurik dynasty, is kept in Kostroma on the Volga since the 13th century. The painting played a special role at the beginning of the 17th century, during the period ending the serious crisis of the Russian Empire known as the Time of Troubles and the frequent changes of impostor rulers. Zemsky Sobor (parliament) in 1613 appointed in absentia to the throne Michael Romanov, son of Feodor Nikitich, known by his monastic name Filaret, the Patriarch of Moscow, related to the wife of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible, Anastasia Romanovna Zakharyina. A message was then sent from Moscow to Michael Romanov staying with his mother in the Ipatievsky (i.e. dedicated to the Holy Trinity and St Hypacius of Paphlagonia) monastery in Kostroma. At first, the young candidate firmly refused to accept the crown, explaining that he feared for his life. However, after strenuous requests, he yielded to the Sobor’s decisions. According to tradition, Michael’s mother blessed her son for the tsarship with the Feodorovskaya Icon, which has since become a saint of the Romanov house – the new dynasty on the Moscow throne. A copy of the painting, made at that time, was placed in the Moscow Kremlin Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God “Na Syenyakh”. The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the icon on March 27 to commemorate the election of Michael Romanov as Tsar and on August 29 to commemorate the revelation of the image (respectively March 14 and August 16 according to the Julian calendar). There is an interesting custom introduced in Russia in the late 18th century: princesses of foreign origin marrying representatives of the ruling dynasty were given the patronymic Feodorovna when they converted to Orthodoxy to honour the Feodorovskaya Eleusa. The popularity this image has gained is evidenced by the many copies widely distributed in Russia, such as the icon in question. Teresa Bagińska-Żurawska https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9243-3967