The Mother of God

Why this icon

I wrote this icon during a workshop with the iconographer Véronique Vié. Her attentive, step-by-step guidance helped me refine my way of depicting the folds of the Virgin’s mantle. At the end of the workshop, I was struck by the variety of our work: starting from the same model, each person’s colour choices had given rise to a different icon. This experience revealed to me the scope for personal expression within a tradition whose conventions are so carefully defined.

About this icon

Mary is shown alone in a bust portrait, her head gently inclined. The restrained composition draws attention to her face and her grave, gentle gaze. Her closed lips suggest silence and inward attentiveness: this image invites the viewer to pause and enter into prayer.

The Greek inscription ΜΡ ΘΥ identifies her as the “Mother of God”, or Theotokos, “she who gives birth to God”. This title expresses Christian faith in the Incarnation: the one to whom Mary gave birth is Jesus Christ, truly God and truly human. Even though the Child is not depicted here, her identity remains inseparable from her relationship with him.

Her deep red mantle, called the maphorion, frames her face and covers her shoulders over a dark blue garment. Three golden stars appear on her forehead and shoulders. In the iconographic tradition, they signify her virginity before, during and after the birth of Christ. The fine gold borders and the ornamented halo give her presence dignity and solemnity.

The gold surrounding her does not describe an ordinary landscape or a particular moment of the day. It evokes the light of God and places this encounter within the sacred space of the icon. Against this radiance, the modelling of the face and the lines of the veil bring out a quiet, attentive presence.

Mary’s inclined head can be contemplated as a sign of humility and openness to God. In Christian prayer, she is also invoked as an intercessor, to whom joys, sorrows and hopes may be entrusted. This icon offers a space for that confidence: through Mary’s attentive presence, it invites us to turn towards Christ.