Great Panagia from Yaroslavl Postcard

13th-century Great Panagia from Yaroslavl. Panagia (Greek: Παναγία, fem. of panágios, pan- + hágios, the All-Holy, or the Most Holy; (also transliterated Panaghia or Panayia), in Medieval and Modern Greek, is one of the titles of Mary, Mother of God, used especially in Orthodox Christianity and Eastern Catholicism. Most Greek churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary are called Panagia; the standard western Christian designation of "St. Mary" is rarely used in the East, as Mary is considered the holiest of all created beings and therefore of the highest status and glory of all the saint