Bulgarian icon | Triptych | 24918

This Bulgarian Orthodox triptych icon features the Mother of God of Iveron (Iverskaya).

On the central panel, the Blessed Mother is depicted cradling the child in her left arm. Her right hand gestures prayerfully towards the child. The head of the Redeemer is elevated, his face slightly turned towards Our Lady, who bows her head in his direction. The Blessed Mother’s right cheek bears a wound from which blood trickles, an identifiable mark of the Iverskaya.

Left Panel:

Saint Martyr Nikolai (March 9)

Nikolai was among the forty martyrs of Sebaste. These Christian soldiers belonged to the Legio fulminata, the Thunder Legion, stationed in Melitene – present-day Battalgazi near Malatya. Under Emperor Licinius, they were condemned to death by hypothermia: forced to stand bare on a frozen pond during a chilling winter night. Only one recanted and fled, while the others’ bodies were burned post-mortem.

Saint Great Martyr Catherine of Alexandria (November 24)

Saint Catherine the Great Martyr, likely born in Cyprus, died circa 307 in Alexandria, Egypt. Her name, derived from Greek, translates to “pure.” According to legend, Catherine was the daughter of King Costus of Cyprus. When the emperor’s son proposed to the beautiful, highly educated, and incredibly wealthy woman, she perceived him as inferior in nobility, beauty, wealth, and wisdom. She confidently rejected all other suitors. A hermit led her to recognize Jesus Christ as the true bridegroom. Following her baptism, she experienced a vision where the baby Jesus placed the engagement ring on her finger.

Right Panel:

Saint John, the Poor (January 31)

During the persecution of Christians, John journeyed to Jerusalem, where he encountered Cyrus, a monk from a Red Sea monastery, and decided to stay. Upon learning that Athanasia and her daughters were seized by Greeks due to their Christian faith, Cyrus and John journeyed to Canopus to bolster the women’s faith. However, they were captured, tortured, and ultimately beheaded alongside the women.

Saint Prince Rastislav (May 11)

Rastislav, the second known ruler of Moravia (846-870), initially began his reign as a vassal of Louis the German, King of East Francia. However, he strengthened his rule to the point of successfully repelling multiple Frankish invasions post-855. At his behest, Cyril and Methodius, commissioned by Byzantine Emperor Michael III, translated the most significant Christian liturgical books into Slavic in 863. Rastislav was overthrown by his nephew, Svatopluk I of Moravia, who turned him over to the Franks.

The front is inscribed with the words: “Jesus Christ triumphs.”

Source: © Ikonen Mautner. Typing errors, other errors or changes reserved. For more information: “Das Synaxarion. Die Leben der Heiligen der Orthodoxen Kirche.” (http://www.prodromos-verlag.de/buecher.html) and Joachim Schäfer: Das Ökumenische Heiligenlexikon – https://www.heiligenlexikon.de