The Icon of Virgin Mary of Jerusalem from Saint Panteleimon Monastery

Nestled within the Protection of the Holy Virgin Mary Church at Saint Panteleimon Monastery is the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary of Jerusalem. This illustrious piece is a replica of the iconic Virgin Mary from Jerusalem, skillfully crafted by the Russian ascetic, Nikon, who was a devotee in the desert of Saint Nilus of Sora. Following a divine vision, the Virgin Mary herself directed Nikon to dispatch this icon as a blessing to the Saint Panteleimon Monastery on the revered Mount Athos.

The iconography of the Virgin Mary adheres to the esteemed Odigitria style. In this representation, she gracefully holds the Infant Christ in her right hand, while her left is poised mid-chest in a gesture of blessing. Standing alongside her image are the full-length depictions of Saint Joachim on the right and Saint Anna on the left.

The silver-gilded riza (protective cover) reveals only the faces of the Virgin Mary and Christ. A distinct inscription in Old Slavonic etched at the bottom of the riza chronicles its creation in 1825 in Russia, within the coenobitic Krivoozersky Monastery by Hieromonk Nikon.

Later, this revered icon of the Virgin Mary of Jerusalem was encased in an ornate silver frame. An inscription on the frame, again in Old Slavonic, beseeches the Virgin Mary to shield with her Protection from all harm.

This icon stands as an exact replica of the Virgin Mary of Jerusalem, the guardian of Jerusalem city, housed in the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The notable distinction from its original is the Virgin Mary's tender hold of the Infant Jesus in her right hand.