These four icons form a set that depicts the Hymn of Axion Estin: 🎼It is truly meet and right to bless you, O Theotokos, Ever-blessed and most-pure mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, And beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, Who without corruption gave birth to God the Word, True Theotokos: we magnify you.🎵 Images: The Mother of God Hymn of Axion Estin, early 17th century, egg tempera on wood with silver basma, Russia (fb)

✨ Today marks the Great Feast of the Holy Pentecost, a significant celebration that takes place fifty days after Pascha (Easter). 🕊️ This feast commemorates the moment when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, which coincides with the Jewish feast of Pentecost. It also signifies the beginning of the Church, highlighted by the Apostles' preaching. ⛪ 🌟 In this icon, we see the twelve apostles arranged in two rows, with the Holy Spirit represented as a star above them. At the bottom center, there is an older figure adorned in royal attire, wearing a crown and holding a cloth. This figure symbolizes the Cosmos, representing the old pre-Christian world that has now passed. 👑 The Feast of Pentecost, late 16th century, egg tempera on wood, Russia (fb)