Inseparable from the liturgical tradition, religious art is seen by Orthodox Christians as a form of pictorial confession of faith and a channel of religious experience. Because the icons provide a direct personal contact with the holy persons represented on them, these images should be objects of veneration, in either a public or private setting, and were even believed to have the ability to heal.

The icon of the Mother of the Sign is one of the most venerated icons of Russia. Icons such as these usually depict a central panel with the Mother of God in an orans pose (prayerfully uplifted hands), and the Divine Infant, at her bosom, usually surrounded by a circular mandorla.