The Blachernitissa

Blachernitissa, also called Our Lady of Blachernae, is a 7th-century icon representing the Holy Virgin and considered to be a divine protectress of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire. According to the Greek tradition, the Blachernitissa was not painted but had a "bodily form" made of wax and ashes of Christian martyrs killed in the 6th century. The icon was credited with saving Constantonople from the Persians in 626 and later from the Arabs. It was preserved in the Blachernae imperial palace, hence the name. After the fall of Constantinople the icon was taken to the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow. Nowadays it may be seen in the Tretyakov Gallery.