AN ICON 'SAINT SERGIUS OF RADONEZH, SAINT MITROPHAN OF VORONEZH, SAINT BLAISE AND SAINT CHARALAMPOS, WITH AN ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD “THE PROPHECY OF SIMEON”' Russia, second half of the 19th century

wood, oil 22.5 x 18 cm Conservation: fragmentary shading The image of the Mother of God with a single sword piercing the heart is quite rare in the Orthodox tradition. The image illustrates a prophecy of the righteous elder Simeon: "and a sword will pierce your soul as well" (Luke 2: 35). The elder foresaw the sufferings of Mary - just as Christ was pierced with nails and a lance, in the same way the soul of the Virgin would be pierced by a "weapon" of sorrow and heartache, when she saw the sufferings of the Son.