The icon of Theotokos of the Akathist Hymn, is placed in the chapel of the Akathist, located in the Katholikon of the Dionysiou Monastery. The icon is made of wax mastic. In fact, according to tradition, it is a work of the Apostle Luke himself.
It is an important relic of the monastery. Its history goes back to the Byzantine Empire and the period of the Avars' siege. In 624 AD the Emperor Heraclius was far from the capital on a campaign against the Persians. On the occasion of his removal and the consequent reduction of the City's military strength, the Avars attacked by sea. The remaining army and the people of the capital, having no other hope, turned to the Holy Virgin Mary. They held an overnight vigil, during which they sang the Akathist Hymn. Furthermore, Patriarch Sergius stood at the walls of the city and walked through them with the icon of the Virgin Mary, together with other holy relics.
The sea turbulence that broke out destroyed the ships of the Avars. Those who survived the storm fled, making the Byzantines the winners of this battle, while the Holy Virgin Mary proved to be the "impregnable wall", covering and guarding her faithful.
Many centuries later, the icon was donated by the Emperor Alexios III Komnenos to the monastery's founder, Saint Dionysios. In particular, it was given to him as a gift when the two men met in 1374 in Trebizond.
In 1592 the icon was stolen from the monastery. Pirates who attacked the monasteries of Mount Athos seized it along with other valuable relics. However, they were unable to remove it as a strong storm broke out. Moreover, the Virgin Mary herself appeared to the crew leader demanding the return of her icon to the Mount Athos monastery. Taking it in his hands, the pirate felt the myrrh gushing out. Terrified, he ordered their return to Athos. Indeed, the miracle of the Virgin Mary led part of the crew to abandon piracy and embrace monasticism..jpg)
In 1767 the icon was stolen again from the monastery. Finally, it was found in Skopelos. Recognizing its value, the inhabitants of the island refused to return it. Its miraculous grace worked again, leading the holy relic back to its Athonite homeland.
Among other things, the icon is also called "Myrolytissa", as it never stopped gushing myrrh. This miracle has been performed throughout the centuries and continues to this day. In fact, the surface of the icon shows intense deterioration due to the myrrh. The figures of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary are barely discernible. However, we know that they follow the iconographic type of the Glykofilousa.
As far as the decoration is concerned, an elaborate relief frame is nowadays placed around the holy figures. Around the floral decoration, individual relief representations of the twenty-four houses of the Acanthus Hymn were also added later.
