The Kazan icon belongs to the “Hodegetria” type (“Our Lady of the Way”), but it is painted as an abbreviated, chest-length version. As the lower part is shortened, some elements typical of the “Hodegetria” iconographic type are missing, specifically, the left hand, as well as the right one, with which the Mother of God points to Jesus.

The original Kazan icon was miraculously recovered in 1579, after the great fire in Kazan. Years later, in 1594, Metropolitan Hermogenes of Kazan wrote a “Story” about the recovery and miracles of the Kazan Icon, which he himself witnessed while still a parish priest.

The Mother of God appeared in a dream to Matrona, the daughter of a strelets (a soldier) Daniil Onuchin, and ordered the location of Her image — a burned house in Kazan. The city authorities did not take the girl’s story seriously. Three times the Blessed Virgin appeared and repeated Her command, after which Matrona and her own mother began to dig the ground in the place indicated by the Mother of God and found the icon. The news of the miraculous finding of the image reached the local Archbishop Jeremiah, who brought the relic in a procession to St. Nicholas Church, then to the Annunciation Cathedral. During the procession of the cross, two blind people received healing from the icon.

In 1590, by order of Tsar Ivan IV, the Kazan Cathedral was built on the site of the icon’s recovery and a convent was founded. Over time, the number of miracles from the icon multiplied more and more. The Kazan image has received All-Russian fame and veneration.

Several precious revetments were created for the icon, with which it was decorated. They were changed on certain days of the year. Gold, diamonds, rubies and other stones, as well as large pearls and complex techniques the artists used — all this significantly increased the value of the icon’s décor.

For several centuries the icon was the main shrine of Kazan, but in 1904 it was stolen. The thieves were caught, but they burned the image. During the three centuries of the miraculous original icon’s stay in Kazan, thousands of copies were made, for example, Our Lady of Kazan of the Minin and Pozharsky Militia. In its honor the Kazan Cathedral was built on Moscow’s Red Square.