Our Lady of Kazan, also called Theotokos of Kazan (Russian: Казанская Богоматерь tr. Kazanskaya Bogomater), was a holy icon of the highest stature within the Russian Orthodox Church, representing the Virgin Mary as the protector and patroness of the city of Kazan. Copies of the image are also venerated in the Catholic Church. It was considered a palladium of Russia for centuries, until its theft and likely destruction in 1904. Two major Kazan Cathedrals, in Moscow and St. Petersburg, are consecrated to Our Lady of Kazan, as are numerous churches throughout the land. Her feast days are July 21 and November 4 (which is also the Day of National Unity).
Ancient and venerated copies have been displayed at the Kazan Cathedral of Moscow, at Yaroslavl, and at St. Petersburg.
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 subjects are hand painted on canvas by experienced Hagiographers in the traditional way of Byzantine Art. The wood comes from the area of Mount Athos in Halkidiki and it is beech which is amenable to aging treatment. The images are plated with 950 silver with a special treatment for an unchanged look over time. The openings of the faces of the hands or other members of the depicted saints are made one by one by hand with a jigsaw. Halos likewise.
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