The icon of Theotokos Papadiki is placed on the northeastern column of the Katholikon of the Holy Monastery of Hilandar. It is called Papadiki, or "Popskaya" in Slavic dialect, because it is always carried by the clergy during processions. A second version claims that her name comes from a miracle. A heretic priest hid his evil intentions and pretended to be an orthodox in front of the other monks. During a litany, while he was holding the icon, he slipped, fell into the sea and drowned.
Theotokos Papadiki is a double-sided icon. On the back side it is depicted the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, in which it is dedicated the Holy Monastery of Hilandar.
The front side depicts Virgin Mary, according to the standard iconographic type of Theotokos Hodegetria. She holds the Divine Infant in her left hand. Her head is slightly bowed towards Jesus Christ, while her right hand is standing near her chest, blessing the faithful. Christ is also blessing with his right hand, while in his left hand he holds a closed scroll. The cover of the icon, created in 1889, leaves only the faces and hands of the figures uncovered.
Although the front side of the icon is covered by a depiction from a later period (16th-17th centuries), the back side has older stylistic features and dates from 1360-1370. Thus, we can place the creation of the entire work in this earlier period.
In the depiction of the Presentation of Virgin Mary we see the Mother of God at the age of 3 years approaching the Temple of Solomon. Zacharias is waiting for her, dressed in the traditional clothing of the Jewish high priests. The Virgin Mary is accompanied by seven virgins who carry candles. The composition is completed by the figures of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, who are in conversation with each other. At the top of the icon, there is depicted an angel who carries a blessed bread and feeds the Mother of God.
