The ground work for his successes had certainly been laid by others: Michael III, who broke the power of Melitene at Lalakaon; Basil I, who destroyed the Paulicians; Leo VI the Wise, who founded the vital theme of Mesopotamia; and Empress Zoe, who extended Byzantine influence again into Armenia and founded the theme of Lykandos.
There are no extant accounts as to how this icon first appeared at the monastery of the Theotokos at Miasena, near the city of Melitene, Little Armenia.