Icon of the Holy Blessed Queen Tamara the Great (Georgian)
Saint Tamara came from a noble family of Bagrations, according to legend, which went back to King David himself. Tamara is a Russian derived name from the biblical "Tamar". It translates as "date palm". Her father George III proclaimed his daughter queen in 1178. He died 7 years later. From that moment the reign of the saint began. When Saint Tamara ascended the throne, she said: "I am the father of orphans and the mother of widows." This phrase defined her entire reign.
The queen began her reign with personnel changes. She removed the rulers and military leaders who abused their power, appointing others instead of them. She freed the Church from taxation, eased the fate of the peasants.
She successfully stopped the invasion of Abu Bakr Khalifa, who, having gathered a huge army from India, hoped to profit from the riches of Georgia. The same fate befell another invader – Sultan Rukn-ad-Din.
Immediately after her accession to the throne, Tamara paid close attention to the organization of a single liturgical charter and church canon. She called on all theologically educated people, experts in the Law of God, bishops and priests to come to the city of Kartli. A general council was soon held here, at which the queen herself was present.
Before her death, Tsarina Tamara managed to finish all the necessary state affairs and dispose of the main church and monastery issues. Suddenly, an unknown illness overtook her. The doctors were powerless. The whole country begged for its queen, but on January 18, 1213, the great ruler died peacefully. The exact burial place of Saint Tamara is still being debated among historians and archaeologists.
The icon is made by printing on a wooden board. Paints are mineral, do not fade with time. The thickness of the board is 2 cm. The board is covered with primer by hand. The image is covered with wax. Each icon has a metal mount on the back side so that you can hang the icon on the wall.
