St. Luke the Evangelist as the first iconographer of the Theotokos

The post states that according to Orthodox tradition, the Apostle and Evangelist Luke was the first to paint the Mother of God on an icon. Tradition holds that he knew the Theotokos personally and depicted her holy likeness, making him one of the first iconographers in Christian history. Many icons of the Theotokos throughout the Christian world are attributed to St. Luke.

One such icon, described as wonderworking, is kept at the Monastery of St. Mark in Jerusalem, which belongs to the Syrian Orthodox Church. According to the tradition of that Church, this icon was painted by St. Luke the Evangelist.