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"Kindly explain the icon, particularly the figures in the upper corners."

At the upper right Christ, the Most Holy Theotokos and +Joseph are depicted in the Egyptian desert; on the upper left is an image of +Zacharius the Priest and father of +John the Baptist being killed in the temple on the orders of Herod when he was unable to find +John who was hidden in the desert by his mother +Elizabeth. I think the mother and child in the cave represent the Most Holy Theotokos and Christ before they fled from Herod's men who were coming to get them as shown by the soldier approaching with a sword in his hand. The rest of the icon, I think, is pretty self explanatory. Herod is on the lower left and the rest of the icon depicts the slaughter of the little boys.

Time, as we understand it, in a lineal sense, doesn't necessarily have any meaning in an icon because icons depict a heavenly reality.

Thank you so much. The murder of +Zacharius had me the most puzzled. In the Western calendar Holy Innocents is celebrated December 28, the martyrdom of +Thomas of Canterbury who was murdered in the cathedral is on December 29. I did not think a uniquely Western feast would have been written in that corner.

Time, as we understand it, in a lineal sense, doesn't necessarily have any meaning in an icon because icons depict a heavenly reality.

Likewise the timelessness of the Liturgy!

I'm pretty sure that the woman and child in the cave are St. Elizabeth and John the Baptist. After Zechariah was murdered, they fled to the desert, pursued by Herod's soldiers. As I recall, the story is that God caused a cave or cleft to be opened in a mountain, and then closed it after them so the soldiers couldn't get at them.

They then lived in the desert after that. I think that St. Elizabeth died there, and St John didn't leave the desert until he returned to proclaim the ministry of Christ. That's as I recall the story.

I think the figures in the upper right hand are also St. Elizabeth and St. John in the desert, but at a later age. The figure to the right of them is the angel who cared for them in the desert. I don't see a nimbus around the child's head, as would be for Christ, nor is the woman in the traditional colors and design of robe for the Theotokos.

The upper left is indeed St. Zechariah being killed in the temple. As I recall, the impious soldiers pursued him into the Holy of Holies and killed him as he clung to the altar and prayed.

Great icon. I've never seen this before. This is a good day to remember all of the infants sacrificed on the altar of abortion in this country.