The Sunday of Orthodoxy with the Holy Mandylion in icons: Proskynesis and procession in Constantinople

The iconographic theme ? ??????? ??? ?????????? (TheSunday of Orthodoxy) is known in Byzantine iconographyfrom the icon of London (c. 1400) and three icons from thesixteenth century. The main element in these representationsis the portal-icon of the Theotokos Odegetria. This study, forthe first time, presents eleven icons from Cyprus and Cappadocia(seventeenth-nineteenth century) with the inscriptions? ??????? ??? ?????????? or H ??????????? ??? ???????????? (The Sunday of Orthodoxy or The Restoration of theHoly Icons). In none of the holy works is the icon of the VirginHodegetria promoted, and in seven icons, the main elementis the Mandylion. The research led to the discovery of lostancient scenes from the iconographic cycle of the Mandylion,with the culminating event being the Feast of the Mandylionor the Sunday of Orthodoxy in Constantinople. The paper alsoexamines the existence of a litany of the Mandylion in Constantinopleduring the eleventh century.