ICONOGRAPHY

Our journey starts with what is probably the very first icon ever written: The Virgin Hodigitria, or Одигитрия, in Russian. "She who shows the Way" is an iconographic depiction of the Theotokos holding the Child Jesus at her side while pointing to Him as the source of salvation for mankind. This icon is also called “Our Lady of the Way” in the Western church. According to tradition, this icon is said to have been painted by Saint Luke and was blessed by Our Lady who said: “My blessing will remain always with this Icon.”

The Smolensk icon is of Bizantine tradition and on it, the head of the Theotokos is covered with the maphorion (veil) and three stars: above the forehead and on the shoulders. The stars are the symbol of perpetual virginity, and are a development of the three crosses that usually accompanied the Theotokos on the more ancient icons. The archangels present in the top two corners are Michael and Gabriel. The Infant Christ sits on his mother’s lap, holding a scroll and blessing the world with his right hand.

­­­The original icon, which was returned to Smolensk, is believed to have been destroyed by fire during the German occupation of the city in 1941. However, a great number of copies of the icon were made, including many of the most venerated of Russian icons, and one very famous one, which we know as Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

But how did this miraculous image end up in Smolensk?

This is what tradition says:

The Icon, sent by Luke to the “most excellent Theophilus” in Antioch, was first transferred to Jerusalem. During the fifth century the wife of Emperor donated the Icon as a gift to the sister of the Emperor who carried it to Constantinople

Several centuries later, in 1046, Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX gave his daughter in marriage to the son of a prince of Kiev, and used this icon to bless her on her journey.

At the beginning of the twelfth century, the Prince of Rus, transferred it to the Smolensk Cathedral in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Indeed, the prince was quite concerned as Smolensk was the most convenient way for invaders to pass into Russia. Thus, the Mother of God became the protector of Russian borders. From that time onwards, the icon was known as the Smolensk Hodigitria. 

Very important battles were won, thanks to the intercession of Our Lady of the Way, including this one:

In 1812, Napoleon enters Russia, with the intent to spread his revolutionary and freemason ideas. The tsar at the time, Alexander I, does not want these ideas penetrating Russia and leads his army into battle. Before one of the most important battles, the battle of Smolensk, the Russians invoked the ‘Hodigitria of Smolensk’ to come to their aid. On the Feast of Our Lady of the Snows, on August 5, 1812, the Russians carried a copy of the Icon with them to the camp. Before the battle, the Icon was taken around the camp to bless and strengthen the moral of the troops. The original Hodigitria, together with the Iveron Icon and Vladimir Icon, were carried in procession through the streets of Moscow and to the sick and wounded in the Lefortovsky Court. General Kutusov is also said to have toured the Russian Army preceded by the Virgin of Smolensk, with Orthodox priests praying and sprinkling the faithful with holy water.

Despite having lost the battle of Smolensk and suffered a high number of casualties, the Russians were eventually successful at halting Napoleon’s advance. Our Lady was credited for having protected the Russian Army and Nation, not only in winning the war, but in stopping the ideas of the French Revolution from entering Her protected nation.

The Theotokos named “Protection of the Mother of God”, sometimes referred to as the “Intercession of the Theotokos”, has been represented in many ways. The icon always shows the Theotokos standing with her arms outstretched in prayer and draped with a veil. Although she is shown without her son, she is still represented as the Theotokos. On the most complete representations of the icon, Mary is depicted with angels on both sides of her, and on the lower part, are saint Andrei and his disciple Epiphanius with the twelve apostles, bishops, holy women, monks and martyrs. Mary is represented spreading her veil in protection over the congregation.

Below the Theotokos, in the center of the icon, stands a young man holding an open scroll on which is written the text of the Kontakion (Akathist hymn) for the Nativity in honor of the Mother of God.

Among the churches named after the Theotokos of the Protection one is more famous: the Cathedral of Intercession in Moscow, popularly known as St. Basil's Cathedral.

The Slavic word Покров (protection), refers to both a cloak or shroud, and protection or intercession. For this reason, the name of the icon is variously translated as the “Veil of Our Lady”, the “Protecting Veil of the Theotokos”, the “Protection of the Theotokos”, or the “Intercession of the Theotokos”.

The Orthodox Church triumphantly and joyfully celebrates the feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Virgin. Established in the 12th century, this holiday is a favorite of the Russian Orthodox people and celebrates the rescue of Constantinople from the attack of a Rus’ Khaganate army.

The event happened during an all-night vigil in the church of Saint Mary of Blachernae, in Constantinople. The church was overcrowded with people in prayer who were imploring Mary’s protection. At four in the morning, the Fool-for-Christ St. Andrei saw the Theotokos entering the doors of the church, surrounded by an assembly of Saints. Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Theologian accompanied the Queen of Heaven.

The Theotokos approached the center of the church, knelt down and remained in prayer for a long time, her face drowned in tears. The Virgin Mary asked Her Son, Jesus Christ, to accept the prayers of all the people entreating Him and looking for Her protection. Then she took her veil off and spread it over the people as a sign of protection. Mary was resplendent with heavenly glory and the protecting veil in her hands gleamed “more than the rays of the sun.”

Due to the intercession of the Mother of God, Constantinople was spared from bloodshed and suffering.

The Vladimirskaya, as Russians call it, is generally accepted as the finest of the few Byzantine icons left from its period (12th century), and according to art historian David Talbot Rice "is admitted by all who have seen it to be one of the most outstanding religious paintings of the world". A characteristic feature of this iconography is that the left foot of the Child is bent in such a way that His heel is visible. Unlike other representations of the Theotokos, Christ is on the left, and He is seen gently nuzzling His mother’s cheek, which she slightly inclines towards him. Mary’s attitude is one of tenderness and love.

The first trace we have of the “Virgin of Vladimir” is in 450 AD, when it arrives in Constantinople.

The history of Russia and the Vladimir icon are inseparable, particularly because of the miraculous interventions ascribed to the icon, news of which have always filled the Russian people with love for it. The Vladimir icon was so prominent in the religious lives of the Russian people that little by little it became customary for the Russian tsars to be crowned in front of the icon. And each time a new Metropolitan or Patriarch was about to be elected, the names of the candidates were inserted inside the frame containing the icon.

In 1164, Prince Andrey Bogolyubskiy took this Icon on his campaign against the people of Volga Bulgaria. After praying before the icon, and encouraging his soldiers to do the same. They went to battle with trust in the help of the Mother of God. The Volga Bulgarians were defeated. Following their victory, the soldiers and their prince prayed in front of the icon and a miracle occurred: light, coming from the icon and from the Holy Cross, illuminated the entire area.

The Russians attribute three other victories against the Tatars to the favor of the Vladimir Virgin: on the 26th of August 1395, on the 23rd of June 1480 and the 21st of May 1521.

Then came the Russian Revolution in 1917. The Communists, in control of the government, stole the precious gold covering, took the Icon from the Cathedral of the Assumption and hung it in the Tretiakov Gallery. Shortly after, the Cathedral itself was closed and later turned into a museum. This transfer of Russia's most beloved icon from a Church to a museum symbolizes the total secularization of public life and the atheistic propaganda, which plagued Russia for more than 70 years.

The Vladimir Icon is also considered a powerful symbol of unity between the Christian churches and many popes have said that it is through her intercession that we will achieve true unity in Christ. Even more than most famous icons, the original has been copied repeatedly for centuries, and many copies have considerable artistic and religious significance of their own.

The icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help also features the archangels Michael and Gabriel, and the infant Jesus sits on the same side of Mary as in the famous “Our Lady of the Way” icon. However, the angels hold the cross and nails, instruments of the passion of Christ, and Jesus is seen leaning into Mary. Mary's hands hold the child Jesus possessively and lovingly. Her hand does not clutch the hands of Jesus' tightly, but remains open, inviting us to her son, Jesus. Finally, Jesus' hands are turned downward, a symbol of His placing the Graces of Redemption in her hands. 

Our Lady is clothed in the colors of royalty; her tunic is of dark red and her mantle is dark blue with a green lining. The Child Jesus also wears the colors of royalty. Both Jesus and Mary have golden halos, but Christ’s halo is decorated with a cross as a sign of His Divinity.

The icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is an example of the Western influence on Eastern art. Especially in the 12th and 13th centuries, as Franciscans traveled through the eastern Mediterranean, this influence became evident in a new class of icons called Cardiotissa, from the Greek word kardia, which means heart. Cardiotissa, then, refers to a type of icon which shows tenderness, compassion, and mercy. Our Lady’s face, though serene and dignified, shows great sorrow in contemplating the sufferings of her Son.

In the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, the Child Jesus is not portrayed with the physical proportions of an infant, but appears almost as an adult in miniature form. This has been interpreted to indicate that He is God, having infinite knowledge. Yet He is human as well, for He clings to His Mother’s hand in fear, while gazing up toward the angel over His shoulder. One of His sandals has come loose, indicating the haste with which He had run to her.

The icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help also has a fascinating story. It too has been traced back to the portrait painted by Saint Luke. Between it’s discovery and it’s final resting place, the famous icon had an epic journey: it was stolen, hid, put in a church, almost destroyed, hid again, lost, and Mary had to appear at least four times to two different people before the icon finally found it’s resting place: the church of Saint Alphonsus, in the hands of the Redemptorists.

Countless miracles are attributed to Our Lady of Perpetual Help and the devotion to this wonder-working icon quickly spread around the world.

The Kursk Root Icon of the Theotokos “Of the Sign” is also one of the most ancient icons of the Russian Church. The icon itself depicts the Theotokos "of the Sign" with the Christ child before her. Above her is the "Lord of Hosts," and on either side and below are nine prophets who wrote about the birth of Christ. The wooden icon is covered with an intricately worked cover of blue and gold.

In the thirteenth century during the Tatar invasion, when all of Russia was facing their most brutal tribulations yet, the province of Kursk fell into desolation. The towns were emptied, and wilderness returned to the province. The residents of Rylsk, the only town preserved from the invasion, often went to hunt in the territories of the province of Kursk.

One day, in the outskirts of the city, a hunter noticed an ancient icon lying on a root face down to the ground. The hunter lifted it and saw that the image of the icon was similar to the Novgorod Icon of Our Lady of the Sign. And, just as the hunter lifted up the icon from the earth, right then, at the exact place where the icon lay, a strong spring of pure water gushed from the earth. This was the icon’s first miracle, on September 8, 1259. With the help of friends, the hunter rebuilt an old chapel, which was in the vicinity of the new spring, and placed the newly-found icon in it. The news of this miraculous icon quickly spread, and many came from Rylsk to this small chapel to venerate the icon. There the Mother of God healed all who came to her icon.

In the year of 1383, the province of Kursk was subjected to a new invasion by the Golden Horde. The Tatars decided to set fire to the chapel, to burn down this icon who was protecting the province. In spite of all of their efforts, the chapel refused to burn. So the Tartars accused the priest Bogoliub of sorcery. The pious priest denounced their foolishness and pointed instead to the will of the miraculous icon, but that only served to infuriate the malicious Tartars, who got a hold of the icon and cut it in two, casting the pieces to either side. Only then did the chapel catch fire, and the priest Bogoliub was made a prisoner.

During his captivity, the God loving man placed all of his hope in the Mother of God. One day, as he was guarding flocks while singing prayers in Her honor, emissaries of the Tsar passed by and heard this singing. They were so moved by his love of the Theotokos that they paid his ransom and arranged for his release from captivity. Bogoliub immediately returned to the former site of the chapel, where he found the pieces of the miraculous icon. He picked them up and straightway they came back together, although the scars remained. Learning of this miracle, the residents of Rylsk gave glory to God and to His Mother: a new chapel was built on the original site of the icon's apparition and it remained there for about 200 years.

In Kazan in July 1579, the Virgin appeared to a young girl 10 years of age, Matrona. Our Lady asked her to dig in a specific location to look for an icon in the ashes of a burned down house where it had been hidden to escape the invasion of the Tatars. It was actually, wrapped in a red cloth. Following this discovery, miracles happened immediately, including the healing of two blind persons. Soon the icon becomes one of the three most revered icons in Russia.

From 1612 the icon, or a copy thereof, was transported to the front of each battle, thus accompanying the army. This way Russia was protected against the invasion of Poland in 1612, the invasion of Switzerland in 1709 and the French invasion in 1812.

In the early XXth century, the icon disappears. What happened between then and 1953 remains uncertain. Was it stolen? Was it sold to support the Bolshevik revolution? Was it intentionally sheltered for better times ahead? In fact, in 1935, an icon of the Virgin of Kazan surfaced during a procession around the city of Leningrad and as of 1953 it is in the hands of the family of an English adventurer and collector, named "Mike" Mitchell-Hedges.

Although no-one doubts the importance of the artifact, one question remained. Was it a copy of the icon or the original? Today we know that this is the original icon. Experts agree that it is the work of a great artist of the 16th century. Thus, the pigments and wood are perfectly preserved and matured with age. Another element that confirms this statement: the jewels adorning the icon.  The original version was in fact covered with very special jewels.  Its size, its colour as well as the border, are unique features, identical to those of the original that was exhibited in Moscow in 1917.

By a series of events, the icon was exhibited at the "World Trade Fair" in New York in 1965. During the exhibition, Pope Paul VI came to bless the icon on October 4th, 1965.

It is also, at this moment, that the World Apostolate of Fatima (WAF) makes an initial contact with the icon. In January 1970, the Association sees the opportunity to buy the icon and around ten years after its purchase, the icon is moved and housed in Fatima with the intention to give it back to Russia in a more favourable times. Before reaching its final destination, Pope John Paul II kept the icon in his private apartments  for over ten years.

As of 1989 the political climate changes so that in 2003, Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, visits Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. The latter had installed in the Vatican library, the meeting place, the icon of Our Lady of Kazan. Both venerate it in turn. This event precedes the final stage of the journey for the Virgin to Russia.

On August 26, 2004, the pilgrims were able to greet the Virgin of Kazan to the Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome for two days.  The icon was then returned to the Orthodox Church in the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow's Kremlin, and a year later it reached its final destination, the Annunciation Cathedral in Kazan's Kremlin.

So it is through providential actions, political and religious authorities, with the participation of popes, an English adventurer and certainly with the help of the Virgin Mary herself that the icon of the Theotokos of Kazan was able to return to its initial stay.

The return of the icon in Russia "broke the ice" in relations hitherto rather cold between the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Churches and the relations have continued to improve since that time. That is the conclusion of both Churches' representatives.