"All Creation Rejoices in Thee" with Last Judgment (Poulakis) Icon - T178

The hymn All Creation Rejoices in Thee is part of the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil, and was written by St. John of Damascus. (He appears in this icon, to the left of the Theotokos, presenting his scroll to her.)

All Creation rejoices in thee, O full of grace: the angels in heaven and the race of men, O sanctified temple and spiritual paradise, the glory of virgins, of whom God was incarnate and became a child, our God before the ages. He made thy body into a throne, and thy womb more spacious than the heavens. All of creation rejoices in thee, O full of grace: Glory be to thee.

True to the hymn, this icon, painted by Reniassance era master iconographer Theodoros Poulakis, features the Theotokos in the center, surrounded by the angels, numerous saints, biblical scenes, and symbols of the Theotokos from the Akathist Hymn.

At the bottom of the icon, there is a Last Judgment scene. The Archangel Michael stands in front of the Cross, summoning all people to stand before Christ. The dead rise from their graves. The righteous ascend to heaven on clouds, while the wicked are dragged into hell by the demons.