Trojeručica

The Mother of God Tricheirousa that, Dreihändige ', is an icon of Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is found in the Serbian Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos Hilandar in Greece and one of the most important icons of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Naming

The Mother of God Tricheirousa ( German also sometimes spelled Lady Tricherousai ) is named after its Greek name Panagia i Tricherousa, the Most Holy Virgin of the Three Hands (Greek Παναγία η Τριχερούσα ). The third hand is a votive offering, the image of a hand that was donated and added to the image as much.

In the Serbian language, the icon is called Bogorodica Trojeručica.

Description and History

The double-sided icon shows on the front of the image of Our Lady with the Infant Jesus on her right arm. Beginning of the 20th century was added a silver overlay ( Oklad ), which leaves free only faces and hands of the two figures. On the back of the icon is a picture of Saint Nicholas of Myra is located.

In its current, over-painted version, the 94 x 67 cm measured wood icon is probably from the mid-14th century. Some experts also suggest that it might be in today's icon is a copy of the 18th century.

The presentation of the third hand is found today in the lower left corner of the icon. For older copies of the icon she was against it nailed just to the right of center.

According to legend, the icon of the legend to come by from Damascus and had been brought upon Jerusalem in the 13th century to Serbia. Kunsthistorisches guesses indicate, however, that the icon is Serbian origin and was manufactured in Skopje.

Probably she was transferred to the end of the 14th century after the conquest of Skopje by the Ottoman Empire and the advance of Islam in the region of Mount Athos in Greece..

Icon Type

The icon of the Mother of God Tricheirousa heard by the type of representation of Mary to the Byzantine type of Dexiokratousa, as the Mother of God holding the Christ Child with her ​​right arm. This differs from the type of Hodegetria, with whom the child is shown on the left arm.

Legends

As with many other famous icons surround the applicable miraculous powers among the faithful icon of Our Lady Tricheirousa numerous legends. These are handed down in writing only since the late 17th century.

The legend tells that the icon was placed on the back of a donkey tied to Athos.

According to legend, the Votivhand of John of Damascus of the icon has been added. This famous theologian and Kirchenvatger from the 8th century is said to have prayed before the icon and its by the caliph (or according to another version of an iconoclastic emperor ) severed hand had grown again.

Another legend reports that the originally used for processions icon again miraculously had migrated from the altar to the place of the abbot ( Igoumenos ). Finally, the icon was accepted as abbot. This reflected in the reforms in the Hilandar monastery, which was transferred to a idiorhythmischen form of organization, in which the monks without Abt live separately and only come together for worship.

Succession

Since the 14th century there are mainly in Serbia Marie representations that lean on the icon of Our Lady Tricheirousa:

• There you will find frescoes of a three-handed ' in the village church of Karan in today's Serbia and Skopje in today's Republic of Macedonia
• A copy of the icon was brought to Russia in the 17th century, where it was frequently copied in turn.
• A copy of the icon is in the Greek Orthodox Church in Wiesbaden- Biebrich

Icon figures also found as engravings and when printed on paper so-called pressure Icons distribution:

Lady Tricheirousa, copy of the 19th century

Lady Tricheirousa, Copy in Troyan Monastery, Bulgaria