The Virgin Emmanuel

This icon belongs to one of the very earliest pictures of the Virgin Mary. It is taken from the Book of Isaiah 7:7-14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Saint Nicholas and Mary Egyptica are depicted either side of the icon. After the Reformation in Russia in 989, this icon became the most important one in Novgorod.