Panagia Hodigitria with donor

The metal coating allows observing faces, hands and feet painted on wood and the embossing reveals the shapes of garments and ornaments. The Virgin Hodigitria is holding his son Jesus and with a gesture of her right hand showing that He is the way. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire, Muscovite Russia saw itself as the heir of Byzantine culture, thus the Virgin became described as the patron and protector of the Russian lands.