A historical icon venerated for centuries in Birgu has been revealed to be much older than originally thought and could have been brought to Malta by the Knights of St John.

Traditionally known for hundreds of years as the “Damaxxena” (Damascene), the icon exhibited at the Chapel of Our Lady of Damascus is now believed to have been manufactured between the end of the 13th century and the 15th century.

It was originally thought to date from 1587 but studies conducted by Heritage Malta’s Diagnositc Science Laboratories have established it is much older and it was possibly brought over to Malta by the Knights of St John in 1530.

The Byzantine icon, measuring 101.8cm by 70.9cm has great historical and theological value as it is an original, Heritage Malta said on Thursday.

The icon shows Our Lady wearing the cloak of an empress, with two out of three stars visible, a symbol of her perpetual virginity. The figure of Baby Jesus is distinguished by the sweet manner in which he is hugging his mother, his gaze fixed on her and his chin tenderly touching her face. The archangels Michael and Gabriel feature on the top part of the icon.

Following the news, Heritage Malta revealed that the icon will now be renamed “Sidtna Marija tat-Tgħanniqa Ħelwa” (“Our Lady of the Sweet Hug”).

The Diagnostic Science Laboratories were approached by Prevarti Ltd and the Collegiate Church of Saint Lawrence, Birgu, to carry out these investigations. The scientific results were presented to the public at the Collegiate Church of Saint Lawrence, in the presence of the Archbishop of Malta Charles Scicluna.

Paint analysis shed new light on the materials used, both the original ones and those from historical restorations. The canvas was identified as linen, while the wooden panel was identified as cedar. The latter suggests, circumstantially, an origin from the Eastern Mediterranean. However, the most significant scientific breakthrough was related to the manufacturing date of this icon. Through carbon dating, the canvas and the wood were dated to the 13th–15th centuries AD.

Heritage Malta said these revelations “strengthen” the icon’s historical significance.