Soon after the baptism of Rus , the Sophia of Kiev was built, presumably by the son of Prince Vladimir Yaroslav, the temple, which for a long time was the main religious building of the young Christian state. The icons of this cathedral are still considered a certain standard in writing Orthodox religious images. The exact date of the foundation of the temple is unknown.
Historians call only an approximate period - 1017 or 1037. The cathedral has preserved a lot of mosaics and frescoes with subjects on a Christian theme.
One of the main shrines of the temple is considered the “Indestructible Wall” - an icon of the Virgin Oranta. This mosaic picture is made of pieces of smalt. The icon is located under the arch itself, above the main altar in the temple. Orants are called the Blessed Virgin, written without a baby and outstretched hands in a protective gesture. Such icons have always been considered the believing intercessors of mankind before God.
Once upon a time, Byzantine masters were specially called from Constantinople to decorate Sofia with Kiev by Prince Yaroslav the Wise.
Therefore, the overall stylistics of the frescoes and mosaics of this temple very much resembles the stylistics of the design of the main cathedral of Orthodox Christians - Sophia of Constantinople. “The indestructible wall” is an icon on which the Mother of God is depicted on a golden background, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. The Most Holy Virgin is clothed in a bright blue tunic (color of the sky) with a red belt and a scarf laid for it. According to legend, it is them who wipes the tears of all those who mourn.
The Virgin Mary icon “The Indestructible Wall” is named after the words of the ninth song of the prayer Canon to the Blessed Virgin. There is such a phrase: "... Virgo, and the wall is unbreakable ...". There is another explanation for this name. For centuries, Sophia of Kiev was repeatedly destroyed during the raids of the Polovtsy and Pechenegs. And not once did the wall with the image of Oranta suffer. The icon has survived to this day in the form in which it was created by ancient masters.
An interesting fact is that in Russia it was always believed that as long as this mosaic is intact, the capital city of Kiev will also stand.
Icon painters created a huge number of icons based on the Kiev original Oranta. If desired, you can purchase a similar image in our days. Today it is believed that the “Indestructible Wall” is an icon that can protect the house from any enemy. Hang it opposite the front door. Any ill-wisher, entering the apartment and seeing the face of the Virgin, will surely forget about her unrighteous intentions and will be embarrassed to leave the house.
Also, knowledgeable people advise contacting the Virgin Oranta for those who are going to leave their home unattended for a while. “Indestructible wall” is an icon that is hung in this case also opposite the door and pray, looking at it for several days in a row. You can say any well-known prayer - “Theotokos”, “Our Father”, etc. Each time after pronouncing such words, one should ask Virgo about the safety of the apartment in the absence of the owners.
The Orthodox icon “Indestructible Wall” is endowed with such properties by the Orthodox. The photo at the top of the page is the original Ornata in Sofia Kiev.