Ancha icon

[1][2] Medieval Georgian sources identify the Ancha icon with the Keramidion, a "holy tile" imprinted with the face of Christ miraculously transferred by contact with the Mandylion.

By the end of the 12th century the icon was covered with gilded chasing by the Georgian master Beka Opizari at the behest of the bishop of Ancha, Ioann Rkinaeli, and the queen Tamar of Georgia.

The silver chasing, remodeled in 1825, presents Christ Pantocrator, while the original encaustic painting shows the bust of Jesus.

The frame of the central panel is adorned with Beka Opizari's work, a high point of the medieval Georgian art.

The two symmetrically located standing figures of John the Baptist and Mary, combined with the icon of Jesus, creates the scene of deesis.