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 direct personal contact with the holy persons represented on them, these images were objects of veneration, in either a public or private setting, and were even believed to have the ability to heal.

The focus of this icon has been divided among three holy figures. The composition if divided vertically into to plains. The upper half houses the images of Christ Pantocrator on the left and St. Nicholas Miracle Worker on the right. Mary Mother of God takes center stage on the lower half, with two sides panels filled by two unknown figures: an angel on the left and a saint on the right. The three figures equally share our attention; there is none more prominent or important than the other. Christ and St. Nicholas both gaze intently out at us. Each holds an open Bible in one hand and forms a sign of benediction with the other. Mary gazes sweetly at the angel to her left while the other saint reverently looks towards her, hands placed over his heart. Luminous gold leaf details have been added to the figures’ halos as well as to the borders that define each compartment. Together, these three holy personages represent the most influential sacred figures in the religious hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church.