Icon - Wood - Presentation of Jesus

“Presentation of the Lord in the Temple”, in Russian Сретение Господне (Sretenie Gospodne).

- In the center, the Virgin Mary (МР ΘΥ) holds the Infant Jesus.
- On the right, Simeon the Theologian (Симеон), the elder who receives the Child in his arms.
- On the left, Joseph (Иосиф), who accompanies Mary and bears the offering.
- Behind them appears Anna the Prophetess (Анна), recognizable by the inscription next to her halo.
The upper inscription seems to reference the “Сретение...”, that is, the Presentation/Encounter of the Lord.
The meaning
The scene comes from the Gospel of Luke 2, 22-40. Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem and there the elder Simeon recognizes the Child as the Messiah. Simeon then pronounces the famous “Nunc dimittis”: “Now, Lord, you can let your servant go in peace…”.