The Mother of God of the Life-Giving Spring (Zoodochos Pege), Yaroslavl, late 17th century
Tempera on wood, 80 × 60 cm.
This monumental icon from Yaroslavl presents a splendid rendering of the Mother of God of the Life-Giving Spring (Zoodochos Pege), a subject rooted in Byzantine devotion to the miraculous spring outside the walls of Constantinople.
According to legend, the Mother of God appeared to Emperor Leo I outside the walls of Constantinople and revealed to him a spring of miraculous healing water. This water came to be understood as a symbol of Christ Himself, the true source of life and salvation. Countless miracles were said to have occurred at this sacred site: the sick, the lame, and the blind were healed by the power of its waters. In local tradition, it was told that on feast days, when the spring was blessed, fish would leap from the basin, a visible sign of divine vitality and renewal. These wonders transformed the spring into a major pilgrimage shrine, inspiring the creation of icons such as this one, in which the Mother of God is shown as the very fountain of life and grace.
At the centre of the composition, the Virgin rises above a fountain-shaped basin, enthroned and majestic, holding the Christ Child in her lap, the true Source of Life. She is flanked by the archangels Gabriel and Michael, depicted here in the guise of Byzantine court attendants (parangeloi), who once flanked the imperial throne. Each angel holds a discus inscribed with the sacred monogram IC–XC (Iesous Christos), recalling the imperial ceremony in which attendants bore discs inscribed with the emperor’s name. Their wide-spread wings extend gracefully beyond the border of the icon, opening the heavenly realm toward the viewer.
Below unfolds the scene of the miraculous spring, its waters flowing into a marble basin surrounded by supplicants, the sick, the lame, and the blind, who are healed by its touch. Clergy and princes stand in reverence, bearing witness to the miracle. The icon’s palette reflects the refined Yaroslavl style of the late seventeenth century.
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