The Theotokos of Tikhvin is one of the most celebrated Orthodox Christian icons. It is said to be one of the icons painted by St. Luke the Evangelist. According to tradition, in the 5th century, the icon was transferred from Jerusalem to Constantinople, where a church was built specially for it.[1] These are the same traditions as accrue to the Hodegetria icon, suggesting the stories have become conflated; in terms of composition the Tikhvin icon is of the Hodegetria type. Art historians prefer a date of about 1300, and a Russian artist. This matches a further tradition that the icon miraculously appeared, hovering over a lake, in Russia near Tikhvin in 1383.
In the period between 1949 and 2004 the icon was stored in Chicago, USA, having been taken out of Russia for safety by a bishop. It returned to Tikhvin, Russia in 2004. Most of the icon, except the two faces, is normally covered by a chased frame of precious metals and jewels (riza).
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