Icon of the Mother of God the Guide (Odighitria) - embroidered, framed, 21x27cm
The Icon of the Mother of God the Guide (Odighitria) is one of the renowned miraculous icons of the Most Holy Theotokos preserved in Mount Athos. The name of the icon comes from the Greek word "odigos," which means "guide" or "indicator of the way," that is, "guide."
It owes its name to a Byzantine legend "The Guide," in which the Mother of God guided two blind men on the road and restored their sight. The icon is attributed to Saint Luke, the evangelist and painter, who thus confessed the mystery of Christ through words and colors.
"Odighitria" is the name given to the iconographic type in which the Virgin Mary holds the Child on her left arm and points to Him with her right hand. The Child Jesus holds a scroll in his hand, a symbol of the Holy Gospel, which particularly highlights the Divinity of the Child.
The garment of Jesus is golden, a sign of His divinity. The Mother of God deeply understands the holiness of the Child she carries in her arms, just as the holy hierarchs carefully held the Holy Scriptures, feeling instructed and protected by her Son.
Furthermore, the gesture of the right hand of the Virgin Mary, pointing to Jesus, conveys the idea that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
