The Mother of God hands the infant Jesus to Simeon the Prophet in the event that inspired the ‘Nunc Dimitis’. (‘Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace’1). On the left is Joseph and, standing behind Simeon, Anna the Prophetess. The architectural background with its baldaquin and arches represents the Temple at Jerusalem within which the scene takes place. (Luke 2: 25-28). The imagery is non-realistic. Its dreamlike effect emphasizes the event’s mystical meaning. The ‘meeting’ taking place is an inner experience, vouchsafed in the silence and stillness of hesychast prayer.

The Presentation is one of the ‘great feasts’ of the Orthodox liturgical calendar (February 14th). The feast originates from ancient times and is known from at least the fourth century. Its iconographic representation was fully established by the ninth century.

The prominence given to St Simeon stems from some ancient liturgical texts where he is described as ‘the greatest of the prophets: more even than Moses...“he who has seen God” ’. For this reason he is known in Old Slavonic as ‘Bogoprimyets’) the ‘God-Receiver’.