19th-Century Icon of the Mother of God “Axion Esti”
19th-century
icon of the Mother of God “Axion Esti” or “It is Truly Meet.” It is believed that
this type of the Mother of God icons first appeared in Constantinople and was
inspired by the Kykiotissa icon painted, according to the legend, by St. Luke the Evangelist during Mary’s lifetime. “Axion Esti” is also the name of a hymn
to the Mother of God, which is used by the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic
churches in the divine services.