Icon of Mother of God "Upon the right Hand did Stand the" or "King of Kings"

 

 

According to Church tradition, this icon was painted by St.Alimpy of the Caves, the first Russian icon-painter, in the 12th century. The icon of the Mother of God "King of Kings," which was kept in the Cathedral of the Dormition in the Moscow Kremlin, was also attributed to him, but there is no reliable information to confirm this hypothesis. The "Upon Thy Right Hand Did Stand the Queen" icons are also known as the Deisis icons (the word "deisis" means "prayer" or "offering"). As a rule, they are placed in the center of the main tier of the iconpstasis. In Russia, icons of this type, inaccurately called the Deisus icons -apparently, because of a certain phonetic likeness between tMs word and the name "Jesus"—are painted either on a single panel or on three separate panels. In addition to the representations of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, the composition includes that of St John the Baptist, The icon symbolizes the link between the Old Testament and New Testament Churches through the King of Glory, the Lord of Lords Jesus Christ. The centuries-long history of the icon makes it nearly as significant in the eyes of the believers as the great miracle-working icons of the Russian land. There is no special feast day in honor of this icon.