“Hodegetria” is a Greek word meaning “She Who Shows the Way.” There must, therefore, have been a particular reason why this icon came to be known as the Hodegetria.
Besides being an Apostle, the Evangelist Luke was also a painter. One day, he met Mariam and was so amazed by Her grace and dignity that he sat down and painted Her portrait. Looking at the icon, Mariam said, “May divine mercy rest upon this image.” From that time onward, in addition to preaching, Luke painted images of Mariam with Her blessing. He created a total of seventy icons, of which only four have survived.
One of these icons was kept in Jerusalem. Saint Eudokia, the wife of Emperor Theodosius II, who reigned in the fifth century, brought the icon to Constantinople as a gift for her sister in law, Saint Pulcheria. Saint Pulcheria founded the Hodegon Monastery, also known as the Monastery of the Panaghia Hodegetria, and placed the icon beneath a golden canopy.
This icon was a great blessing for Constantinople. Each week, the faithful solemnly carried it from the monastery and placed it in a nearby public square for veneration. The procession of the icon was conducted in a manner that inspired awe and left all who witnessed it speechless.
Stephen of Novgorod, a Russian pilgrim who visited Constantinople in 1348 or 1349, described the procession of the Hodegetria icon: The large, richly adorned icon was placed upon the shoulders of a blindfolded bearer, who extended his arms as though he were being crucified. The bearer appeared to be guided by the icon as he turned unpredictably within the monastery enclosure. Several men carried the icon successively in this manner.
The deacons led the procession, carrying liturgical fans called ripidia, or hexapteryga, a word that literally means “six wings,” as well as the ark, or canopy, of the venerated icon. The chanters sang a long hymn, while the people repeatedly prayed, “Lord, have mercy.” It was because of this remarkable event that the icon came to be known as the Virgin Hodegetria. (Adapted from Stephen of Novgorod, “The Wanderer,” translated by George P. Majeska, in Russian Travelers to Constantinople in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries (Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, 1984), pp. 36–37.
The ungodly and unbelieving people of that time, having witnessed these miracles with their own eyes, were left speechless. Hence the words of the hymn: “May the lips of the impious, who do not venerate your holy icon, be silenced. This icon was painted by the most holy Apostle Luke and is known as the Directress, the Hodegetria.”
In addition to its weekly procession through Constantinople, the icon was carried throughout the city during times of hardship, drought, and other trials. The final major religious procession took place on the eve of the fall of Constantinople in A.D. 1453, but it was never completed. Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, the icon fell to the ground. Immediately afterward, relentless rain forced the faithful to abandon the procession.
If you found this article helpful, please feel free to share it with someone who may also benefit from it.
The next and final article in this series is “The Terrifying Miracle of the Virgin Mary.”
Leave a Reply