Some icons of the Mother of God are considered not made by hands (they appeared in certain places), other images could be painted by holy people about any events or miracles. The Three-Handed Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos refers to man-made images that have their own history.
The history of the Three-handed icon of the Mother of God dates back to the 8th century. This icon is associated with the great ascetic of the Christian Church and the outstanding theologian John Damascus.
John Damascene is known for many theological works, but one of his main creations are treatises in defense of icon veneration. For his special zeal in defending the veneration of icons, Saint John endured torment.
The holy ascetic was a Syrian subject, he served at the palace of the Caliph of Damascus. It was from there that John wrote three treatises in defense of the veneration of icons, which infuriated the emperor of Byzantium Leo III the Isaurian. The enraged emperor could not punish the saint himself, since the latter was not a subject of Byzantium. However, Leo the Isaurian wrote a forged letter on behalf of Saint John and handed it over to the Caliph of Damascus. In the letter, John allegedly wanted to provide his assistance to the emperor of Byzantium in the capture of the Syrian capital. The prince of Damascus gave orders to cut off John's right hand, with which Saint John allegedly wrote a traitorous letter. The hand was cut off and hung up for all to see in a public place.
After the punishment, they put the saint in prison, and in the evening they returned the severed hand to him. In captivity, the Monk John Damascene prayed before the icon of the Mother of God for healing, putting his brush to the severed hand. The saint asked the Mother of God for healing so that he could re-write his treatises in defense of the veneration of icons. After intensified prayers, the ascetic fell asleep. In a dream the monk saw the Virgin Mary saying to him: “Behold, your hand is healed; grieve no more and fulfill what you promised me in prayer."
When Saint John woke up, he saw that his hand was miraculously healed. In memory of such a wonderful event, the monk made a silver brush, which he attached to the image of the Most Holy Theotokos. That is why the icon became known as the Three-handed.
Three hands were also depicted on copies of this miraculous icon. The original image of the Three-handed Mother of God is kept on the holy Mount Athos in the Khilandar monastery.
