The Philermos Madonna, a Byzantine icon of the Blessed Virgin, received its name from the holy sanctuary on Mount Philermos on the island of Rhodes, where it hung for centuries, and where it was credited with many miracles. The holy icon is believed to have been painted by St. Luke the Evangelist. Originating in Jerusalem, the icon miraculously made its way to Rhodes about the year 1000. This was three centuries before the island came under the rule of the Knights of Saint John from 1310 to 1523. The holy icon accompanied the Knights when they were ultimately driven from Rhodes by the Muslim Turks in 1523. It stayed with them in Malta from 1530 to 1798, and went with them to Russia where it remained with the Sovereign Order until the Bolshevik (Judeo-Communist) Revolution.

Over the Centuries the chapels of the Order of Saint John have been graced with many holy relics. However, three were most precious and particularly venerated by the Order: A large piece of the True Cross on which Christ was crucified; The right hand of Saint John the Baptist – The Patron Saint of the Order; and The Icon of Our Lady of Philermos. This holy icon was venerated under the title of Qeovtoko Filevremou (The Mother of God of Philermos). Not only were many individual miracles attributed to it, but during the several seiges of Rhodes, this icon was carried in solemn procession around the walls and barricades in clear view of the Sultan’s army of hundreds of thousands of muslim warriors and cannoneers who were assaulting the Knights. Thus, Our Lady of Philermos was given credit for much of the phenomenal success of the Order of Saint John.