The Holy Virgin icon In thee doth all creation rejoice was painted by an unknown artist in Murom in the 1570–80’s. For a long time, it was held by the Murom Church of St. Nicholas in Zaryadye. It is a specimen of a very special type of Ancient Russian art representing images from chants and prayers dedicated to the Holy Virgin.

The icon got its name from the first line of a hymn dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which is part of the Octoechos service book:

The hymn was written by John of Damascus, a Byzantine saint and hymnographer who lived in the 1st century AD. It was a time of iconoclasm. John of Damascus stood out for icon veneration and was famous as a major contributor to Christian teaching systematization.

In Russian Orthodox Church, the hymn In Thee doth all creation rejoice is sung during the liturgy of St. Basil while the priest is uttering secret intercessory prayers at the altar, mentioning consecutively all levels of sanctity. It is a hymn that requires those praying to stand.

Holy Virgin icons based on hymns or chants first appeared in Russia in the 15th century. In this particular icon, the Holy Mother is portrayed sitting on the throne, surrounded by angels, with a halo of divine holiness. She is holding Jesus Christ. Beneath the throne, there is the author of the hymn, John of Damascus.

Art historians suppose that he artist placed the most Orthodox spouses, Peter and Fevronia, among the host of Murom saints. Peter is third in the left-hand bottom corner, disguised as a priest wearing a monk’s brown cloak and blue klobuk. The female figure, third on the right, can be identified as the Saint Princess Fevronia. She is portrayed in a princess attire, not monastic, wearing a white crown on her head.