Our Lady of Life-Giving Font 1700

This Orthodox icon titled "Our Lady of Life-Giving Font," likely created around the seventeenth century, encapsulates the profound cultural and religious values of the time, particularly concerning healing and salvation. The icon depicts the Virgin Mary and infant Christ enthroned above a fountain, from which people are drawing water. This "Life-Giving Font" symbolizes not only physical healing but also spiritual renewal, deeply resonating within a society where health and faith were intertwined. The figures surrounding the fountain, rendered with individualized expressions, reach out in various states of illness and hope. The icon serves as a testament to the power of faith in the face of suffering. It's worth noting that the development of this iconographic theme coincides with periods of plague and disease in Europe. It reflects a collective yearning for divine intervention and healing, and represents a powerful connection between community, spirituality, and survival.