The icon depicts two figures – the Virgin Mary and little Christ, their cheeks are touching in a heart-warming manner. This way of depiction was in accordance with the canon. The Mother of God is leaning toward the Child, who is hugging her neck. An important detail distinguishing the Vladimirskaya from other icons of the Eleusa type is the visible sole of Jesus Christ’s foot. The icon symbolizes the tender love of the Mother and the Child: Mary is grieving, foreseeing the worldly sufferings of the Son. Such iconography was known even in the period of early Christianity but gained popularity by the 11th century, and later passed into painting.

The Theotokos of Vladimir is credited with the miraculous Salvation of Moscow from the Tamerlane invasion in 1395 and from the Nogais usurpation in 1451. In 1480, the intersession of the Theotokos is thought to have influenced the great standing on the Ugra River, which ended the Tatar-Mongol yoke. In 1521, the army of Mahmet-Girey with almost 100 thousand people reached Moscow yet it suddenly turned back. Orthodox Christians strongly believed in the power of Our Lady the Intercessor, and the Vladimir Mother of God became sacred. The venerated image was used in celebration of coronations of tsars, elections of patriarchs, people prayed in front of it on the eve of military campaigns.