page_title: Our Lady of the Sign (Novgorod)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Our Lady of the Sign (Novgorod) / History
caption_attribution_description: Русский: ЧУДО ОТ ИКОНЫ «БОГОМАТЕРЬ ЗНАМЕНИЕ» (БИТВА НОВГОРОДЦЕВ С СУЗДАЛЬЦАМИ) English: Miracle of the Icon "Virgin of the Sign" (Battle of Novgorod and Suzdal) Русский: Находилась, вероятно, в церкви Святого Димитрия в Кожевниках; в XIX веке перенесена в часовню Святого Варлаама Хутынского, а позднее – в церковь Николы Кочанова Поступила в Новгородское епархиальное древлехранилище в 1912 году English: It is probably in the church of St. Demetrius in Kozhevniki; in the XIX century, moved to the chapel of St. Varlaam Khutynsky, and later - in the Church of St. Nicholas Kochanov Received Novgorod diocesan Drevlekhranilishche in 1912 Restored in 1913 by PI in Novgorod Yukina; in 1957 GTSHRM AN Riabinina Реставрирована в 1913 году в Новгороде П.И. Юкиным; в 1957 году в ГЦХРМ А.Н. Рябининой НГОМЗ
context_page_description: Znа́meniye or Our Lady of the Sign is an icon in the orans style, dated at the first half of the 12th century. The icon was painted in medieval Novgorod. It is one of the most revered icons of the Russian Orthodox Church and the main holy of Russian North-West. In past the icon was the main icon of the Novgorod Republic and the symbol of Novgorod sovereignty and republicanism due to the event that has glorified the icon.
context_section_description: The origins of the icon are unknown. The icon is ascribed to be miraculous. The miracle reportedly occurred in 1170, when Novgorod was besieged by the army of Andrei Bogolubsky, the prince of Suzdal. The struggle has become a seminal iconographic theme since.
  In 1170 the united army of 4 Russian kingdoms (duchy of Vladimir, duchy of Smolensk, duchy of Murom and duchy of Polotsk) had come toward the walls of Novgorod and laid siege to the city. The further events are described in the Novgorodian saga, cited below.
  The importance of that victory was hard to overestimate, taking into consideration the fact that a year before the same army of Andrei Bogolubsky and his allies had captured Kiev for the first time in history, aborting the reign of the Novgorodian prince’s father.
  The miraculous icon dwelt in the Church of the Transfiguration on Ilyina Street for 186 years afterwards. Later it was moved in a church in honour of the sign on the Holy Virgin, built specially for the icon. The last isn't preserved, as in 1682 it was replaced with the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Sign in Novgorod. In 1992 the icon was moved into the Cathedral of St. Sophia, where it dwells now.
  Numerous copies of the icon were well known all around the Russia. Some of them are believed to be miraculous as well. Memory about the miraculous deliverance of Novgorod had been retained in oral tales for a long time.
caption: The battle as shown by Novgorodian icon
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