The Icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk (Hodigitria) has been venerated across Orthodox Slavic lands since at least the 11th century, when it was reportedly brought to Smolensk from Constantinople as part of a Byzantine imperial marriage alliance. Belarus has issued multiple icon-themed bullion and commemorative pieces since the 1990s, and this 100g gold issue sits among the most substantial of that program by weight. The Smolensk icon holds particular resonance in Belarusian religious culture given the historical proximity of the Smolensk region and its long ecclesiastical ties to the Kyivan and later Muscovite Orthodox traditions.
The Icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk (Hodigitria) has been venerated across Orthodox Slavic lands since at least the 11th century, when it was reportedly brought to Smolensk from Constantinople as part of a Byzantine imperial marriage alliance. Belarus has issued multiple icon-themed bullion and commemorative pieces since the 1990s, and this 100g gold issue sits among the most substantial of that program by weight. The Smolensk icon holds particular resonance in Belarusian religious culture given the historical proximity of the Smolensk region and its long ecclesiastical ties to the Kyivan and later Muscovite Orthodox traditions.