Antique 18th - 19th Century Ukrainian Polish Painting Icon The Mother of God of Pochayiv

A scarce antique, late 18th or early 19th century, Ukrainian – Polish Large Icon of "The Mother of God of Pochayiv";

0” Почаївська ікона Пресвятої Богородиці " Matka Boska Poczajowska” “Чудотворна ікона Почаївської Божої Матері” ” Почаївська Ікона Божої Матері”.

The icon of Pochayiv Mother of God is venerated equally by Ukrainian Orthodox, Ukrainian Greek Catholic (Greco-Catholic), Polish Roman Catholic, and Russian Orthodox. The icon is also renowned in other Slavic countries and is venerated equally by Eastern Orthodox and Catholics worldwide.

The icon is finely hand-painted on canvas glued to the surface of a raw wooden board, with two vertical slats inserted at the back to prevent warping.

The icon depicts the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child wearing crowns. Thanks to the efforts of the Polish king Stanisław August Poniatowski and the Polish aristocrat Mikołaj Potocki, on September 8, 1773, the coronation of the miraculous icon of Our Lady of Pochayiv with the papal crowns of Pope Clement XIV took place.

The ceremony was attended by about 100,000 believers and was visited in large numbers by the faithful of three denominations (Roman Catholics, Greek Catholics, and Orthodox).

The clouds represent Mary's vision of her child, Our Saviour, being heavenly. Underneath is the Holy Virgin's footprint set in the rock of Pochayiv, upon which the monastery was founded. This footprint was always filled with clear water from a spring, which opened the same night.

This particular form of the Pochayiv Mother of God icon is a rarity, as it is painted based on the original icon after the Pochaev miracle, which was in the monastery until 1833. In 1833, due to the support that the Basilian monks gave to the Polish insurgents after the fall of the Polish November Uprising (1830-31), the Russian occupation government punished the monks by expelling them from the monastery and handing over the monastery to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Basilian monks hid the original icon. According to another story, the icon was given to the Polish aristocratic Tarnowski family, the owners of the Pochayiv town and the surrounding area, for hiding.

However, what happened to the original icon after 1833 is still being determined and is considered lost.

The most known Pochayiv Mother of God icons were painted after 1833 in a typical Russian style without papal crowns. The heads of the Mother of God and Christ are surrounded by a halo or crowned with Russian-style crowns.

CONDITION: Overall, in good condition, paint with some wear. The suspension hook is modern.

Please see all photos in the listing, as they are part of the item's condition description.

DIMENSIONS: 45 cm x 38 cm (17.72 inches x 14.96 inches).

The icon is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.

For additional information on The Pochayiv Mother of God, please view the links below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theotokos_of_Pochayiv

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pochaiv_Lavra

Links to the Polish Sites:

https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poczajowska_Ikona_Ma...

https://www.wilanow-palac.pl/matka_boska_poczajows...

https://www.rymacze.pl/a70.html

http://medaliki.king22.pl/matka-boska-poczajowska/

For a similar Icon, Please see the link below:

https://www.alamy.com/wszyscy-wici-w-mnk-unknown-may-eduard-gustav-1845-1914-image471471602.html?imageid=E93DC160-8BE1-45E0-9357-E878C4CD54C2&p=1902624&pn=1&searchId=0296a424f8e09bc271525b3f5d1cbe12&searchtype=0