The "Tikhvin" icon of the Mother of Godis a variation of the "Hodegetria" style icon in Greek meaning She is "pointing the way" to Her Son Christ.

The original icon is attributed to St Luke as a gift to Theophilius the ruler of Antioch. After Theophilius' death the icon was sent to Jerusalem. In the 5th Century it was sent as a gift to Pulcheria the sister of the Emperor Theodious the Younger of Constantinople. His wife Eudokia built The Church of Blachernae to house the icon where it was venerated for over 500 years and was referred to as "Hodegetria."

The original icon of the Virgin Mary of Tikhvin (Tikhvinskaya), was taken from Russia during the 1917 Revolution to the United States. The icon was returned to Russia in 2005.