Our Lady of Pechersk (Svenskaya) with saints Feodosy and Antony
1288
The icon of Our Lady of Pechersk (Svenskaya) is the most ancient monument with a depiction of the Pechersk saints Antony and Feodosy. Saint Antony (+1073) was the founder of the Kiev Pechersk Monastery and teacher of Feodosy. Saint Feodosy (+1074) was the Father Superior of the Kiev Pechersk Monastery and introduced the monastic rules of communal living. In the «Tale of the Icon of Our Lady of Pechersk» it says that the icon of Our Lady of Pechersk was taken from the Kiev Pechersk Monastery at the request of the blinded Bryansk prince Roman (son of Mikhail of Chernigov) in 1288 and brought to a place near the city of Bryansk where the Church of the Svensky Monastery was built by the «prince, who miraculously recovered his sight». Nowadays opinions of researchers vary as to whether the given icon is a copy of a celebrated ancient holy relic or whether it was an original image.
The Icon is exact handmade copy therefore the dimensions are specific, the hooks for hanging on the wall are nails for horseshoes, while the nails on the periphery of the icon that hold the frame are different as were in the original one. The openings of the face, of the hands and of other details are done one by one with the hand. The wood is oak and comes from the Mount Athos area. The Icon is silver plated with special treatment to remain unchanged through the years.
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