The Iveron Icon of Mary, the Mother of God: 5 Interesting Facts

Icons of the Theotokos are of great value to every Christian believer. One of the numerous images of the Virgin Mary is the Iveron icon of Mary, the Mother of God, which is housed in the monastery on Mount Athos. It is commemorated by the Orthodox Church on October 26. In this blog post, we have shared 5 interesting facts that will help you learn more about this relic.

The Iveron icon of Mary, the Mother of God: 5 interesting facts

1. The Iveron icon of the Mother of God is placed on Mount Athos. It has never left the monastery, as the image is considered to be its main shrine. The icon is believed to be painted by Luke the Evangelist during the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

2 The distinctive feature of the Iveron icon of the Mother of God is the wound on her face. According to tradition, an iconoclast soldier pierced the icon with his weapon, and the icon started to bleed. Later, a widow rescued the icon and carried it to the sea, letting it float out on the water.

3. The Iveron icon of Mary, the Mother of God, miraculously appeared on the island of Mount Athos. Years after the widow had let it go to sea, it reached Athos and was found by a monk. The shrine was glowing over the waves and seemed to be floating in the air. Since then, the Virgin Mary has guarded the entrance to the monastery, being a highly revered relic.

4. Many legends and stories are associated with this image. For example, there is a story of a poor man who came to the monastery to spend the night. However, he was not allowed in for lack of money. On the road, he met an unknown woman who gave him an antique coin. The man returned to the monastery and gave it to the monks and told them about the woman he had met. It turned out that the coin was from donations to the Iveron icon of the Mother of God.

5. The Iveron icon of Mary, the Mother of God, is considered wonderworking. Its copies are displayed in many Orthodox churches and monasteries so that believers can pray for the healing of mental and bodily ailments. The Virgin is also called the patroness of all people who suffer and grieve. That is why the Iveron icon is one of the most revered Orthodox images.

These were 5 facts about the Iveron icon of the Virgin Mary. Do not miss our new blog posts to learn about other Orthodox icons.