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Panagia is an icon of the Holy Theotokos with her Son,
Jesus Christ as child. This icon of the most Blessed Holy Theotokos is facing the viewer
directly, with her hands in the orans position and with an image
of Jesus Christ as a child in front of her chest. This
symbolically represents Jesus within the womb of the
Virgin Mary at the moment of the Incarnation. This type of icon is
also called the Platytéra, by containing
the Creator of the Universe in her womb, Mary
has become Platytera ton ouranon (Πλατυτέρα
τῶν Ουρανῶν),
"more spacious than the Heavens". This type is also sometimes
called the Virgin of the Sign or Our Lady of the Sign, a
reference to Isaiah 7:14:
Therefore the Lord himself
shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall call His name Immanuel.
Such an image is often placed on the
inside of the apse which rises directly over the altar
of Orthodox churches. In contrast with standard religious mosaics
which have gold backgrounds, the Platytera is
often depicted on a dark blue background, sometimes dotted with gold
stars: a reference to the Heavens.
As with most Orthodox icons of Mary, the
letters ΜΡ ΘΥ (short
for ΜΗΤΗΡ ΘΕΟΥ,
"Mother of God") are placed on the upper left and
right of the halo of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.
Iconographers
of all times tried to show in the image of Theotokos as much beauty,
gentleness, dignity, and grandeur as they could imagine. They sometimes
paint her in grief, and sometimes sorrowful, but always filled with
spiritual strength and wisdom.
The
Most Pure Lady is shown with her head covered with a veil, which drops to
her shoulders, according to the tradition of Jewish women of that time.
This veil or head covering is usually colored red to show her suffering
and her acquired holiness. Under her veil, her clothing is blue,
symbolizing the humanity of the Theotokos.
There
are three golden stars, one on the forehead and one on each shoulder of
the Most Holy Theotokos. These stars are symbols of her virginity. She
was a virgin before, during, and after the Nativity of
Christ. The three stars are also a symbol of the Holy
Trinity.
Hymns to the Theotokos
There
are many hymns that are sung to the Theotokos. The two following are from
the Divine Liturgies of St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great:
From
the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom:
It is truly meet and right to
bless you, O Theotokos,
Ever blessed and most pure,
and the Mother of our God.
More honorable than the
Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim,
Without defilement you gave
birth to God the Word.
True Theotokos, we magnify
you!
From
the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great:
All of creation rejoices in
you, O Full of Grace,
The assembly of Angels and the
race of men.
O Sanctified Temple and
Rational Paradise! O Glory of Virgins!
From you, God was incarnate
and became a child, our God before the ages.
He made your body into a
throne, and your womb He made more spacious than the heavens.
All of
creation rejoices in you, O Full of Grace! Glory to you!
References:
https://orthodoxwiki.org/Panagia
https://orthodoxwiki.org/Theotokos
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