Icon of the Mother of God “the Joyful”
Nov 7th, 2007 by michelle
The precise title “Mother of God” goes back at least to the third or fourth century. The Greek title Theotokos (God-bearer) became the touchstone of the Church’s teaching about the Incarnation. The Council of Ephesus in 431 insisted that the holy Fathers were right in calling the holy virgin Theotokos. At the end of this particular session, crowds of people marched through the street shouting: “Praised be the Theotokos!” The tradition reaches to our own day.
This icon is called “the Joyful” because it looks as though Christ is leaping for joy. It appeared near Moscow on November 7, 1795, but nothing known of the history of this icon. Icons of this name can be found in the Novodevichy Monastery in Moscow and in the Vatopedi Monastery on Mt Athos.
Many miracles have taken place through this icon.
It is commemorated on this day.
I looove this icon; it’s so pretty and now I want to order a print if possible. I think it would be amazing to visit monasteries in Russa and venerate the original icons there.