Theotocos Jerusalem

Under the pious Legend of Church, some of ancient wonder-working images of Holly Our Lady have been painted by the first icon painter, the sacred apostle and evangelist Luke during terrestrial life of Mother of God. It is considered, that the image of the Jerusalem icon has been written too by apostle Luke and there was it on the Sacred Land in Gefsiman fifteenth years after rise of the Savior to the sky.

In time of Byzantian emperor Lion the Great (457—474) Jerusalem icon has been transferred to Constantinople and placed in the temple of the Mother of god called «Pigiy», that is "Source". At emperor Iraklii (575—641) city was besieged by Scythians, it has not been taken only owing to a national pray before this icon. In memory of such miracle an image have transferred to one of the main temples of Byzantium — Vlakhern church where it remained during almost three centuries.

In the beginning of X century the Jerusalem icon has got in the Crimean city of Chersonese, whence prince Vladimir Svjatoj has taken an icon to Kiev. When after inhabitants of Kiev the sacred christening and the reference in christianity have accepted people of Novgotod, prince has sent this icon to them. In fact «Odigitria» also means «Pathfinder».

More than four hundred years the icon of the Virgin stayed in the Sofia cathedral of Great Novgorod. Its reverence here causes special love to the Jerusalem icon in many cities and towns of Russian North.