Blachernitissa
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Blachernitissa (Greek: Βλαχερνίτισσα), also called Theotokos of Blachernae (Gr: Θεοτόκος των Βλαχερνών, Θεοτόκος η Βλαχερνίτισσα) or Our Lady of Blachernae (Gr: Παναγία η Βλαχερνίτισσα), is a 7th-century icon representing the Holy Theotokos, Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Theotokos was considered to be the intercessory protectress par excellence 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 Theotokos's intercession, pleaded through veneration of the icon, was credited with saving Constantinople 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 Cathedral of the Dormition. It is currently displayed in the Tretyakov Gallery in Russia.
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