This card arrived two days ago (9th of September), part of a Round Robin group. Given the fact that it was posted on 4th of September I could say it's quite fast for a Russian. Up to now, it's one of my favorites, along with Helsinki Cathedral and few other cards.
Our Lady of Vladimir (Богоматерь Владимирская) is a very well known orthodox icon, being a version of the Eleusa (tenderness) type.
Some say that it was painted by St. Luke himself, but we do not have historical evidences to sustain this. Around 1131 Luke Chrysoberges, the Greek Patriarch of Constantinople, sent the icon as a gift to Grand Duke Yury Dolgoruky of Kiev. The image was kept in Mezhyhirya Monastery until Andrey Bogolyubskiy (Dolgoruky's son) brought it to his favourite city, Vladimir, in 1155. The icon was taken from Vladimir to the new capital, Moscow, in 1395 during Timur Leng invasion and miraculously save the city.
In 1480 the wonder-working icon was saving Moscow again. This time from the invasion of Khan Achmed. For Russians it's a powerful symbol, a associated with the growth of Russian national consciousness based on the Muscovite state.
Till 1917 the icon was kept on the iconoastasis of Kremlin Cathedral of Dormition. In 1918 it was partially restored and moved to Moscow Tretyakov Art Gallery where is hosted nowadays in St. Nicholas Chapel.
Few people know that it's actually a double-sided icon. On the back there are the instruments of Christ's Passion. Another interesting fact is that a detail of the Virgin's left eye and nose is part of the logo of Icon Productions, founded by Mel Gibson.
The stamps are nice too.
The first one (8.00) is a 2003 Europa Stamp depicting a walking girl.
The second (15p) was issued in 2011 and is a part of 3 stamp series History of the Russian Cossacks.
Thank You, Olga !
Country: Russia
Description: orthodox icon of Virgin Mary from Vladimir (12th century)
Publisher: Moscow Postcards
Location: St. Nicholas Chapel in Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
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