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[[Image:Ierosolymitissa.jpg|thumb|right|Panagia Ierosolymitissa (Gethsemane, Jerusalem)]]
'''''Panagia Ierosolymitissa''''' (Gr. Ιεροσολυμίτισσα - Most Holy Lady of Jerusalem) is a very popular [[icon]] of the [[Theotokos]] because it overlooks the empty tomb of the Most Holy Theotokos at the Sepulcher of the Mother of God in Gethsemane—blessing the numerous pilgrims visiting the [[Holy Land]] of [[Jerusalem]]. The underground tomb of the Virgin Mary is situated in the Kidron Valley, on the foothills of the [[Mount of Olives]], where the Saviour often prayed with His disciples. It is attributed to the Theotokos since it is believed that the [[Apostles]] gathered at this location and buried the most-pure body of the [[Theotokos|Mother of God]]. Her icon remains there as an endless spring of blessings for all the Christians, celebrated (or venerated) by the name "Panagia Ierosolimitissa."{{citation}}
==The Church==
==History of the Icon==
According to Holy Tradition this miraculous icon was painted through the revelation of the Holy Theotokos to a nun named Tatiana from the Holy Monastery of St. Mary Magdalene, around 1870 AD. The story narrated is as follows :<ref> [http://orthodoxia-agiapisti.blogspot.com/2007/09/blog-post.html Link includes the Apolitikion in Greek and pictures]</ref>:
:In 1870, there lived a monastic iconographer called Tatiana. One night, a lady appeared to her in a vision saying, "Sister Tatiana, I have come so that you can paint me." Tatiana replied, "Let it be, Blessed Sister; however, I am an iconographer and not a painter." The lady replied, "... well then, you should paint me using your iconographic style."
:She immediately went and informed her Mother Superior of the vision in detail. The abbess did not believe in the story but told her to go to sleep and the following day she could paint an icon of the [[Panagia]] with her blessing.
:Tatiana returned to her cell and before entering she noticed a bright light shining through the door. She hastened to the abbess, once again, to bring her to her cell to witness this light and understand that she was not lying about the visions. Together they returned to Tatiana's cell. Inside, they could smell a beautiful and heavenly fragrance and the light was so bright that only then did they realise that the aroma and the light were coming from an icon of the the Virgin Mary.
:The mysterious and miraculous appearance of the icon had the sisters in shock but our Holy Mother the Theotokos appeared once more to Tatiana and said, "Now take me from here down to my home in Gethsemane of Jerusalem." This is what the abbess and the sister did.
