Icon of the Mother of God Fountain of Life/Vivonosnyi Istocznik

Icon of the Mother of God Fountain of Life/Vivonosnyi Istocznik

Greek icon made on gold using the silkscreen method.
This is a method characterised by the direct printing of the icon on the board.
Thanks to this method, the icon retains its durability. It will not lose its appearance when exposed to sunlight and other atmospheric conditions.
A support is included with the icon, so that the icon can also be stood up.

Dimensions of the icon: 18 x 14 x 1,5 cm.

100.00 

Out of stock

Description

The story that explains the creation of this icon is linked to a small grove located in the fifth century in Constantinople near the so-called ‘Golden Gate’. There used to be a spring there, but in later times it became overgrown. Once, a soldier was passing by the grove and it was there that he met a blind man whom he helped. They stopped to rest and the soldier went in search of water. Suddenly he heard a voice saying that water was in the grove. The voice also instructed him to carry the water for the blind man and to put a water lash from this spring to his eyes. The soldier understood that this was the voice of the Most Holy Mother of God. The Mother of God called the soldier a king. He did as she commanded, and the blind man regained his sight. After a few years, the soldier became king and ordered a fence and temples to be built around the spring, as well as cleansing the spring itself. The spring was called the ‘Spring of Life’ and many of the faithful who went to it to pray regained their health. Justinian the Great, who suffered from water dropsy, took over the reign after Leo. During the night he had a vision in which a voice commanded him to drink water from the Spring if he wanted to recover. He did not know which Spring he was referring to, but during the day the Mother of God appeared to him and once again told him about the Spring. The Emperor recovered, and in gratitude he built a second temple next to the miraculous Spring. A monastery was then built next to it. The icon of the ‘Spring of Life’ was also created at the same time. Unfortunately, in the 15th century Constantinople was conquered by the followers of Islam, and the Spring itself was buried. In later years, several attempts were made to rebuild the shrine and clean the Spring. This was successful in 1835. As in the past, it is still famous today for its miraculous power and healing of the faithful.

Symbolically located on the icon, the Mother of God signifies the beginning of the redemption of mankind, and she is also the source of eternal life, because through her Jesus Christ the Saviour came into the world. Through her prayers, Christ sends His grace and what believers ask for. Christ in the icon, on the other hand, symbolises the Fountain of Living Water, the Origin of all things.