The Garden of the Mother of God
The icons of the Mother of God of Mount Athos
Mount Athos, the monastic peninsula of northern Greece, is called by its monks «the Garden of the Mother of God». Its twenty monasteries keep some of the most venerated Marian icons of Orthodoxy, each with its own story and name.
The most venerated icons
Axion Estin
«It is truly meet». Kept at the Protaton in Karyes: according to tradition, before this icon an archangel taught a monk the hymn «It is truly meet to bless you, O Theotokos».
Portaitissa
«Keeper of the Gate», at Iviron monastery. A Hodegetria with a small wound mark on the face; its most famous copy is the Iverskaya in Moscow.
Tricherousa
«Of the three hands», at Hilandar monastery. It is linked to Saint John of Damascus, whose hand, according to tradition, was healed and who offered the icon a silver hand.
Gorgoepikoos
«Quick to hear», at Docheiariou monastery: one of the icons most invoked by the faithful in need.
Glykophilousa
«Sweet love», at Philotheou monastery: a Mother of Tenderness with the Child cheek to cheek.
Pantanassa
«Queen of all», at Vatopedi monastery: the enthroned Mother of God, invoked for the sick.
Painting an Athonite icon
Athonite icons are not «copied»: the iconographer takes up their scheme, name and inscriptions and paints a new icon that refers to the prototype. Inscriptions can give the Greek name (for example «Ἄξιόν ἐστιν») or its Latin form. It is a gift for those who have been pilgrims on Athos, for those linked to the Greek or Orthodox world, for those entrusting a specific request to the Mother of God. Like every icon by Concetta Basile, it is fully gilded with 23¾ karat gold, with inscriptions in Greek or Latin, and is commissioned with an offering proportionate to the time and materials of the work.
Frequently asked questions
Can women visit Mount Athos?
No: by a thousand-year tradition, access to the peninsula is reserved to men, with a special permit. Many Athonite icons, however, have been replicated and are venerated throughout the Orthodox world.