Some icons of the Mother of God are considered miraculous (they appeared in certain places), other images could be painted by holy people about any events or miracles. The icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary Three-handed refers to man-made images that have their own history.
The history of the image of the Mother of God "Three Hands" dates back to the VIII century. This icon is associated with the great ascetic of the Christian Church and the outstanding theologian John Damascene.
John of Damascus is known for many theological works, however, treatises in defense of icon veneration are considered one of his main creations. For his particular zeal in defending icon veneration, St. John suffered 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 icon veneration, which infuriated the emperor of Byzantium, Leo III Isaur. The angry emperor could not punish the saint himself, since the latter was not a subject of Byzantium. However, Leo Isaur wrote a fake letter on behalf of St. John and handed it to the Caliph of Damascus. In the letter, John allegedly wanted to help the Emperor of Byzantium in the capture of the Syrian capital. The prince of Damascus ordered John to chop off his right hand, with which St. John allegedly wrote a treasonable letter. The hand was cut off and hung for public display in a public place.
After punishment, the saint was put in prison, and in the evening they returned the cut off hand to him. In captivity, the Monk John of Damascus prayed in front of the icon of the Mother of God for healing, putting his hand to the severed hand. The saint requested healing from the Theotokos so that he could again write his treatises in defense of icon veneration. After intensified prayers, the ascetic fell asleep. In a dream, the reverend saw the Virgin Mary, saying to him: "Behold, your hand is healed; do not grieve any more and do what you promised me in prayer."
When St. 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 began to be called the Three-Handed.
Three hands also began to be depicted on lists with this miraculous icon. The original image of the Mother of God Three-handed is stored on the holy Mount Athos in the Chilandar monastery.
