Our Lady of the Sign

The icon of Our Lady of the Sign (Greek: Παναγία Ορωμένη; Church Slavonic: Икона Божией Матери, "Знамение", romanized: Ikona Bozhey Materi, "Znamenie"; Polish: Ikona Bogurodzicy "Znamienie") or Platytera (Greek: Παναγία Πλατυτέρα, romanized: Panagia Platytera) is the term for a particular type of icon of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary), facing the viewer directly, depicted either full length or half, with her hands raised in the orans position, and with the image of the Child Jesus depicted within a round aureole upon her breast.

He is depicted not as a fetus, but rather vested in divine robes, and often holding a scroll, symbolic of his role as teacher.

The depiction of the Virgin Mary with her hands upraised in prayer ("orans") is of very ancient origin in Christian art.

There is also an ancient Byzantine icon of the Mother of God "Nikopea" from the 6th century, where the Virgin Mary is depicted seated upon a throne and holding in her hands an oval shield with the image of "Emmanuel".

Other feast days normally commemorate specific copies of the icon to which wonderworking power has been ascribed by the Orthodox Church.

Among the more famous variants of this genre are the Icons of the Mother of God of Abalatsk, Kursk-Root, Mirozh, Novgorod, Sankt Petersburg, Tsarskoye Selo and Vologda.

13th century Icon of Our Lady of the Sign from Yaroslavl ( Kiev School , ca. 1114. Tretiakov Gallery , Moscow ).
Our Lady of the Sign (18th century, iconostasis of the Transfiguration church, Kizhi monastery, Karelia, Russia).
18th century Byzantine -style bronze of Our Lady of the Sign from Jerusalem , showing the Mary, the mother of Jesus in the " Orans " position.