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The Virgin « Hodegetria »
(She who shows the
Way) |
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| The image of the Hodegetria holds a
privileged place in the iconography of the Mother of God. It has been and
remains the preferred image of the Western world, even though its origin is
specifically Eastern. Here is how the icon received its name by a miracle of the Holy Virgin: In Constantinople, the Mother of God would have appeared to two blind people. Taking them by the hand, she guided them to the famous monastery and sanctuary of the Hodegetria where she restored their vision. |
Built by Michael III (842-867), the sanctuary was called Church of the Guides because the army chiefs used to pray before the icon, which was named after the sanctuary, before they left for their campaign.
Since that time, the blind and all who suffered eye disorders came to the source nearby the Church to wash their eyes so they would be healed. This legend has made the icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria into a source of grace for those who are looking for God. The icon makes us understand Mary as « She who shows the way to God » for she is literally: Hodegetria, which means She who shows the Way.
Bibl.: Egon Sendler S.J., Icônes byzantines de
la Mère de Dieu, Desclée de Brouwer, Paris, 1992, pp.
89-104.