ELEUSA set of 4 icons of Virgin Mary | Russian Icons of the Mother of God - Eleusa type of depiction

Russian Icons of the Mother of God - Eleusa.

Endless love and tenderness are what icons of the Mother of God “Eleusa” bear in the first place. This type of iconography, which shows the infant Jesus nestling against Mary’s cheek, is considered one of the main depictions of the Virgin in the Russian Church. The icon renders the sacrifice of Christ as the highest expression of His love for humanity. By the way, the word “Eleusa” is also often used as an epithet when praising the Mother of God in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Eleusa-style Russian icons are generally considered to be the most cherished symbols in the Russian Virgin iconography. 

The “Tenderness” or “Eleusa” icon is one of the Orthodox iconographic types of the Theotokos. It includes the Tolga icon of the Mother of God, Virgin of Don icon, Our Lady of Tenderness Emotion, and Vladimir Mother of God, among others.

Tenderness - Seraphim-Diveyevskaya icon of the Mother of God

This sacred icon is preserved in the Holy Trinity-Saint Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery where it occupies the central place. It is interesting that it served as an inspiration for the well-known ascetic and wonder-worker Saint Seraphim. This particular Tenderness icon of the Mother of God is quite rare within Orthodoxy because it shows the Virgin without the infant Jesus. The reason lies in the fact that it depicts Mary at the moment of the Annunciation.