AllatRa by Anastasia Novykh 2 www.allatra.org

AllatRa by Anastasia Novykh
Even today this icon is still one of the most revered in the Russian Orthodoxy. Even
more, in Belarus, for example, the icon of the Mother of God surrounded by four angels
is still the capital’s coat of arms (translated from German, “gerb” (the Russian word for
“coat of arms” – translator’s note) “erbe” means “heritage”) – a unique symbol of the
ancient Slavic city of Minsk (Мhньскъ) located on the bank of the river Svisloch
(Svislach), one of the Dnieper’s tributaries. Legends preserved a partial reference about
the connection of the icon “Znameniye” icon with ancient Kiev, and about its
miraculous discovery. All these symbols and signs left a special mark on the spiritual
heritage of these Slavic peoples.
Anastasia: Yes, it suffices just to look at the present-day coat of arms of those places to
understand to what symbols the society’s attention is drawn.
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