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Virgin of Vladimir

The Virgin of Vladimir, also known as Vladimir Mother of God, Our Lady of Vladimir[1] (Russian: Влади́мирская ико́на Бо́жией Ма́тери, Ukrainian: Вишгородська ікона Божої Матері), and the Theotokos of Vladimir (Greek: Θεοτόκος του Βλαντίμιρ), is a 12th-century Byzantine icon depicting the Virgin and Child and an early example of the Eleusa iconographic type. It is one of the most culturally significant and celebrated pieces of art in Russian history. Many consider it a national palladium with several miracles of historical importance to Russia being attributed to the icon. Following its near destruction in the thirteenth century, the work has been restored at least five times.

Virgin of Vladimir
Russian: Влади́мирская ико́на Бо́жией Ма́тери: Our Lady of Vladimir, Ukrainian: Вишгородська ікона Божої Матері: Vyshgorod Mother of God
ArtistUnknown
Year1131
MediumTempera
SubjectVirgin Mary
Dimensions104 cm × 69 cm (41 in × 27 in)
LocationTretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Our Lady of Vladimir, tempera on panel, 104 by 69 centimetres (41 in × 27 in), painted about 1131 in Constantinople

The icon was painted by an unknown artist most likely in Constantinople. It was sent to Kiev as a gift before being transferred to the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir. It is traditionally said that the icon did not leave Vladimir until 1395, when it was brought to Moscow to protect the city from an invasion by Timur, although the historical accuracy of this claim is uncertain. By at least the sixteenth century, it was in the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow where it remained until it was moved to the State Tretyakov Gallery after the Russian Revolution.

It was subject to an ownership dispute in the 1990s between the gallery and Moscow Patriarchate, which ended with its relocation to the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi. An arrangement was made to operate the church with dual status as a house church and part of the museum. The icon remains there today, and is only accessible via an underground passage from the gallery to the church, where liturgies are still held.

History

Origins

 
The surviving portion of the Bogolyubovo Castle [fr]

The icon is dated to the earlier part of the 12th century, and arrived in Rus' around 1131. This is consistent with the account given in the Russian Chronicles.[2][3][4][5] Similar to other high quality Byzantine works of art, it is thought to have been painted in Constantinople.[5][6][7] Only the faces are original, with the clothes repainted after suffering damage when a metal cover or riza was placed over them[2][5] and in a fire in 1195.[5][4]

In about 1131, the Greek Patriarch of Constantinople sent the icon as a gift to Grand Duke Yuri Dolgorukiy of Kiev.[8][9] Academic Sona Hoisington attributes this in part to a greater effort by Byzantines to convert and Christianize the Slavic peoples at the time.[10] It was kept in a Vyshhorod nunnery until Yuri's son, Andrey of Bogolyubovo, brought it to Vladimir in 1155.[8]

In a traditional account the horses transporting the icon had stopped near Vladimir and refused to go further. Accordingly, many people of Rus interpreted this as a sign that the Theotokos[a] wanted the icon to stay there. The place was named Bogolyubovo, or "the one loved by God". Andrey placed it in his Bogolyubovo residence and built the Assumption Cathedral to legitimize his claim that Vladimir had replaced Kiev as the principal city of Rus.[11] The icon was soon moved to the Assumption Cathedral after its consecration in 1160.[12]

 
Prince Andrew removing the icon from a convent in Vyshgorod. A miniature from the Illustrated Chronicle of Ivan the Terrible

Following the consecration of the Assumption Cathedral, which was soon followed by other churches dedicated to the Virgin, there is no record of the icon ever leaving Vladimir until 1395. However, its presence did not prevent the sack and burning of the city by the Mongols in 1238, when the icon was damaged in the fire. It was restored soon after the event, and again in 1431 and in 1512.[13][14][9]

Transfer to Moscow

 
This sixteenth century icon shows Metropolitan Cyprian and Vasily I welcoming the Vladimir icon in Moscow

A legend formed that the icon was painted by Luke the Evangelist from life; the first written account of this story dates back to 1512.[15] The intercession of the Theotokos through the image has also been credited with saving Moscow from Tatar hordes in 1451 and 1480.[12]

The image was brought from Vladimir to Moscow in 1395, during Tamerlane's invasion. The site where the Muscovites met the Vladimir delegation is commemorated by the Sretensky Monastery[b] which is considered to be built where it occurred. However, no archeological evidence supports this claim, and much of the fifteenth-to-sixteenth century church was destroyed after renovations by the Russian Orthodox Church.[16] Vasily I of Moscow spent a night crying over the icon, and Tamerlane's armies retreated the same day. The Muscovites refused to return the icon to Vladimir and placed it in the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.[17]

David Miller suggests that the icon was in fact normally still in Vladimir, with some excursions to Moscow, until the 1520s. Crediting the icon with saving Moscow in 1395 does not appear in sources until the late 15th century and the full version of the story until accounts of 1512 and then the 1560s.[18] From the 16th century, the Vladimirskaya began to be featured as an important symbol in a series of politicized legends linking Moscow to pre-Mongol Rus and positioning it as the centre of Christianity after Rome and Byzantium—initially to sustain the imperial pretensions of Ivan IV, and later to influence state policy under the Riurikid and Romanov dynasties.[19]

Post-revolution

Under the Bolsheviks, the icon came into the possession of the State Tretyakov Gallery.[20] Displayed as a work of art,[20] it was first put on display in the gallery in 1930 and kept there for at least the next 11 years.[21] During the Battle of Moscow, Joseph Stalin allegedly had the icon flown around the city as the Germans began to invade.[11][22] This was first described by Moscow city official Viktor Volokhov in his book Муниципальная милиция в Российской Федерации.[22]

In 1993, it was moved to the Epiphany Cathedral for a Divine Liturgy in the wake of tensions between President Boris Yeltsin and the Russian Duma. Though it was damaged during the excursion, it was soon restored and given to the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi.[23][24]

Description

 
Details of Our lady of Vladimir icon
 
Various stages of damage to and restoration of the icon, as analyzed by A. I. Anisimov

The icon is a tempera painting on wood, 106 by 69 centimetres (42 in × 27 in) in size, with the central 78 by 55 centimetres (31 in × 22 in) portion being original and the rest being a later expansion undertaken possibly to accommodate a larger riza. The icon depicts Jesus Christ as a child being held in the arms of his mother, Mary. They embrace cheek to cheek, with the child gazing towards and reaching for Mary. She holds him with one arm and solemnly looks out towards the viewer. The faces and hands are painted with greenish olive sankir, a mix of ochre pigment and soot, and transparent layers of brighter ochre; the child's face is rendered in a lighter shade than the mother's, perhaps to reflect the difference in their age. The child's clothes are painted with dark ochre and gold. The original painting bore the inscription ΜΡ ΘΥ, an abbreviation for 'Mother of God', of which only parts survive.[25][9]

In its nine centuries of existence, the icon has been restored and overpainted at least five times to deal with damage and deterioration, including a fifteenth century restoration thought to have been led by Andrei Rublev. It is mainly the faces of Mary and Jesus and the gold ground above her head that are original twelfth-century paint. In the past, the icon has been covered with several elaborately designed oklad and riza (revetments) which caused damage to the frame. The reverse, which is much less well known, contains an image of the Hetoimasia ('prepared throne') and instruments of Christ's Passion that was painted in c. 14th century (prior to that the reverse side had a painting of an unidentified saint).[26][25][27]

 
Hetoimasia and instruments of Christ's Passion painted on the reverse side of the icon, ca. 14th century
 
A riza for the icon dating to 1657

Among icons of Virgin Mary with Jesus, Our lady of Vladimir is classed as an Eleusa icon (Russian: Oumilenie), due to the tender attachment between mother and child.[28] Theologians and believers have also commented upon the icons symbology and the religious sentiments it inspires. Contemplating the icon, theologian Henri Nouwen, remarked that the Virgin's eyes glance at neither the child or the viewer but appear to "look inward and outward at once"; that her free hand gestures towards the baby to "open a space for us to approach Jesus without fear"; and, that the child is shown as "a wise man dressed in adult clothes."[29] Literary scholar, S. S. Averintsev interpreted the mix of maternal tenderness and poignant sorrow seen in Mary's expression, as representative of the emotions generated by the events of Nativity and Calvary, respectively.[28] Jesus's bare feet are seen as symbolizing his physical reality; his garments of gold, the Kingdom of Heaven; and the three stars on Mary's dress (one occluded by the child), "her virginity before, during and after her son's birth."[30]

Its artistic quality has been highly praised. Art historian David Talbot Rice said that "[Our Lady of Vladimir] ...is admitted by all who have seen it to be one of the most outstanding religious paintings of the world."[7] Art historian George Heard Hamilton praises its "craftsmanship and conception", and notes how in its representation of the subject's faces, the icon subtly transitions from its normal use of contour lines to a refined surface texture. It is painted in an artistic style typical for Byzantine art of the period with features including smaller mouths, refined eyes, and elongating Mary's nose. However, by avoiding the use of demarcating line, as became common in later Byzantine art, and by setting up the complex interplay of the mother and child's glances, the icon adds to the illusion of life in the piece. The child's features are reminiscent of classical sculpture, though the artist renders an expression truer to an actual infant's.[9] The expressive and humanistic character of the icon differentiates it from earlier Byzantine art and exemplify the artistic developments seen during the Komnenos dynasty.[4][6][7]

Significance

In Russian history

The icon is generally considered to be one of the most cherished symbols in Russian history.[23][31][32] Academic David Miller has ascribed this to its close connection to Russian national consciousness throughout its existence.[33] Its transfer from Kiev to Vladimir was used by Bogolyubsky to legitimize Vladimir's claim as the new center of government in the Rus'.[9]

Additionally, its intimate association with important Russian historical events gave Our Lady of Vladimir the distinction of being a national palladium.[9][11] The most recent of these events being the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis when it was brought to the Epiphany Cathedral at the request of Patriarch Alexy II and Mayor of Moscow Yury Luzhkov in their attempt to bring peace to the country.[22]

As a religious icon

Our Lady of Vladimir's veneration is also likely enhanced by the fact that the Theotokos is regarded as the holy protectress of Russia.[11] The venerated image has been used in celebration of coronations of tsars, elections of patriarchs, and other important ceremonies of state.[11][20][34] The icon has three feast days held throughout the year in celebration to specific events it is associated with:[12]

Location and display

 
Our Lady of Vladimir on display within the church

Our Lady of Vladimir is on display at the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi.[36][37] As a result of an agreement between the Tretyakov and Moscow Patriarchate, the church is both an active Russian Orthodox house church and functioning museum.[14] Previously, it there had been a contentious ownership dispute between the two.[38][32]

In 1997, the Tretyakov completed a full restoration of the church.[14] Security improvements to store and display art were added, and an underground passageway was additionally made to connect it to the State Tretyakov Gallery.[39] In order to house the famous icon, a temperature controlled bulletproof glass case was commissioned.[14] On 7 September 1996, Our Lady of Vladimir was first installed in the special case located within the church, and the next day Patriarch Alexy II consecrated the church. According to Archpriest Nikolai Sokolov, the rector for the church, the case would able to withstand the firing of a Kalashnikov rifle as well as many other potential hazards.[40]

Due to its dual status as both church and museum, visitors are allowed to pray before the icon and divine Liturgies are regularly held on selected days. However, visitors can only enter the church through the Tretyakov Gallery and via the underground passageway.[14][40]

Copies and influence

 
Fifteenth century copy, sometimes attributed to Andrei Rublev
 
A late nineteenth century copy largely covered with riza (revetments)

Even more than most, the original icon has been repeatedly duplicated for centuries, and many copies also have considerable artistic and religious significance of their own.[41] According to Suzanne Massie, it became a standard for many Russian contemporary depictions of Mary.[42]

In preparation for the 1980 Summer Olympics, a chapel was constructed for athletes to be able to pray before competition which hosted a copy of the icon.[22]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Greek for Virgin Mary, literally meaning "Birth-Giver of God"
  2. ^ "Sretenie" being the Church Slavonic term for "meeting".
  3. ^ The dates provided are in both old and new style. The canonical dates for the feast days are in old style because the Russian Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar. See Gregorian calendar § Difference between Gregorian and Julian calendar dates.

Citations

  1. ^ Yegorov (2018), online.
  2. ^ a b Weitzmann (1982), p. 17.
  3. ^ Tretyakov Guide (2000), p. 280.
  4. ^ a b c Runciman (1975), p. 154.
  5. ^ a b c d Miller (1968), p. 658.
  6. ^ a b Funk & Wagnalls (2018), database.
  7. ^ a b c Rice (1946), p. 89.
  8. ^ a b Miller (1968), pp. 660–661.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Hamilton (1983), pp. 107–108.
  10. ^ Hoisington (2019), database.
  11. ^ a b c d e Phillips (2011), database.
  12. ^ a b c Alekseyenko (2008), online.
  13. ^ Miller (1968), pp. 658–659.
  14. ^ a b c d e Lebedeva (2006), online.
  15. ^ Miller (1968), p. 663.
  16. ^ Beliaev (1997), p. 38.
  17. ^ Evans (2004), p. 165.
  18. ^ Miller (1968), pp. 659–660.
  19. ^ Miller (1968), pp. 669–670.
  20. ^ a b c Averintsev (1994), p. 613.
  21. ^ Bakatkina (2017), pp. 44–45.
  22. ^ a b c d Bakatkina (2017), p. 45.
  23. ^ a b Russian Life (1999), p. 8.
  24. ^ The Economist (1993), pp. 109–110.
  25. ^ a b Bakatkina (2017), pp. 8–25.
  26. ^ TVkultura (2014), online.
  27. ^ Elkins (1993), database.
  28. ^ a b Averintsev (1994), pp. 612–615.
  29. ^ Nouwen (1985), pp. 387–389.
  30. ^ Forest (2008), pp. 78–80.
  31. ^ Nouwen (1985), p. 387.
  32. ^ a b Jackson (1995), p. 344.
  33. ^ Miller (1968), pp. 668–670.
  34. ^ Miller (1968), p. 657.
  35. ^ OCA (2016), online.
  36. ^ Tretyakov Guide (2000), pp. 278–280.
  37. ^ Pravda (2019), online.
  38. ^ The Economist (1993), database.
  39. ^ Insight Guides (2016), pp. 99–100.
  40. ^ a b Strelchik (2012), online.
  41. ^ Evans (2004), pp. 164–165.
  42. ^ Massie (1980), p. 45.

References

  • Alekseyenko, Anton (9 September 2008). "Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God". Orthodoxy and the World. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  • Averintsev, Sergej S. (1994). "The Image of the Virgin Mary in Russian Piety". Gregorianum. Gregorian Biblical Press. 75 (4): 611–622. ISSN 0017-4114. JSTOR 23579744.
  • Bakatkina, Maria (5 January 2017). "Hands off That Sacred Image!" The Vladimir Icon and Its Power (PDF) (Thesis). University of Virginia. doi:10.18130/V3NQ0F. Retrieved 15 August 2019 – via LibraETD.
  • Beliaev, Leonid A. (July–August 1997). "Mystery Monasteries". Archaeology. Archaeological Institute of America. 50 (4): 36–38. ISSN 0003-8113. JSTOR 41658720.
  • Forest, Jim (2008). Praying with Icons. Orbis Books. ISBN 978-1-60833-077-5.
  • "Byzantine Art and Architecture". Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, Inc. 2018. EBSCOhost by218900.
  • "Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane". oca.org. The Orthodox Church in America. 26 August 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  • Elkins, James (1 April 1993). "From original to copy and back again". The British Journal of Aesthetics. Oxford University Press. 33 (2): 113–120. doi:10.1093/bjaesthetics/33.2.113. ISSN 0007-0904. GALE A13772791.
  • Evans, Helen C., ed. (2004). Byzantium, Faith and Power (1261–1557). Metropolitan Museum of Art/Yale University Press. ISBN 978-1-58839-114-8. OCLC 893698628.
  • Hamilton, George Heard (1983). The art and architecture of Russia (3rd ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-05327-4.
  • Hoisington, Sona (1 March 2019). "The Middle Period". Dig into History. Cricket Media. 21 (3): 20+. ISSN 1539-7130. GALE A581990256.
  • Insight Guides Pocket Moscow (Travel Guide eBook). Apa Publications (UK) Limited. 2016. ISBN 978-1-78671-677-4. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  • Jackson, David (May 1995). "The State Tretyakov Gallery. Moscow". The Burlington Magazine (Review). Burlington Magazine Publications. 137 (1106): 342–344. ISSN 0007-6287. JSTOR 886644.
  • Kirdina, N., ed. (1 January 2000). State Tretyakov Gallery (Guidebook) (in French). Translated by Cook, K. M. (2nd rev ed.). Moscow: Avant-Garde. ISBN 978-5863941066. OCLC 54071928. OL 9058828M.
  • Lebedeva, Elena (18 December 2006). "Xрам Святого Николая Чудотворца В Толмачах" [Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Tolmachi]. pravoslavie.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  • Massie, Suzanne (1980). Land of the Firebird: the Beauty of Old Russia. New York City: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-671-23051-4.
  • Miller, David B. (October 1968). "Legends of the Icon of Our Lady of Vladimir: A Study of the Development of Muscovite National Consciousness". Speculum. Medieval Academy of America. 43 (4): 657–670. doi:10.2307/2855325. ISSN 0038-7134. JSTOR 2855325. S2CID 154449436.
  • Nouwen, Henri J. M. (11 May 1985). "The Icon of the Virgin of Vladimir: An Invitation to Belong to God". America. America Media. 152 (18): 387–390. ISSN 0002-7049. EBSCOhost 35621166.
  • "О чем молятся Владимирской иконе Божией Матери" [About prayer for the Vladimir icon of the Mother of God]. www.ap22.ru (in Russian). Pravda. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  • "Our Lady at Rest". Russian Life. Montpelier, VT: Russian Information Services, Inc. 42 (5): 8. August–September 1999. ISSN 1066-999X. GALE A58065134.
  • Phillips, Peter (25 June 2011). "Band of gold: the historic towns north-east of Moscow give a beautiful glimpse into the dawn of Russian civilisation". Spectator. London: The Spectator Ltd. 316 (9539): 59+. ISSN 0038-6952. GALE A259961864.
  • Rice, D. Talbot (April 1946). "The Greek Exhibition at Burlington House". The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs. 88 (517): 86–90. ISSN 0951-0788. JSTOR 869212.
  • Runciman, Steven (1975). Byzantine Style and Civilization. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-013754-5.
  • Strelchik, Evgeny (12 December 2012). "Третьяковка приглашает... в храм/Интервью/ЖМПиЦВ". Tserkovny Vestnik (Interview) (in Russian). Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  • "The resurrection of holy Russia". The Economist. Vol. 329, no. 7834. Economist Intelligence Unit N.A. Incorporated. 23 October 1993. pp. 109–110. GALE A14570055.
  • "Что скрывает обратная сторона иконы Владимирской Божьей Матери?". TVkultura (in Russian). 13 March 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  • Weitzmann, Kurt (1982). The Icon. London: Evans Brothers Ltd. ISBN 0-237-45645-1.
  • Yegorov, Oleg (12 November 2018). "5 most famous and miraculous icons that Russians venerate". Russia Beyond. Retrieved 9 August 2019.

Further reading

  • Beckwith, John (1970). Early Christian and Byzantine Art (2nd ed.). Penguin History of Art. ISBN 978-0-14-056033-6.
  • Belz, Elaine Elizabeth (2016). "A Wounded Presence: The Virgin of Vlaidimir Icon". The Graduate Journal of Harvard Divinity School. Harvard College. Retrieved 12 August 2019.

External links

virgin, vladimir, also, known, vladimir, mother, lady, vladimir, russian, Влади, мирская, ико, на, Бо, жией, Ма, тери, ukrainian, Вишгородська, ікона, Божої, Матері, theotokos, vladimir, greek, Θεοτόκος, του, Βλαντίμιρ, 12th, century, byzantine, icon, depictin. The Virgin of Vladimir also known as Vladimir Mother of God Our Lady of Vladimir 1 Russian Vladi mirskaya iko na Bo zhiej Ma teri Ukrainian Vishgorodska ikona Bozhoyi Materi and the Theotokos of Vladimir Greek 8eotokos toy Blantimir is a 12th century Byzantine icon depicting the Virgin and Child and an early example of the Eleusa iconographic type It is one of the most culturally significant and celebrated pieces of art in Russian history Many consider it a national palladium with several miracles of historical importance to Russia being attributed to the icon Following its near destruction in the thirteenth century the work has been restored at least five times Virgin of VladimirRussian Vladi mirskaya iko na Bo zhiej Ma teri Our Lady of Vladimir Ukrainian Vishgorodska ikona Bozhoyi Materi Vyshgorod Mother of GodArtistUnknownYear1131MediumTemperaSubjectVirgin MaryDimensions104 cm 69 cm 41 in 27 in LocationTretyakov Gallery Moscow Our Lady of Vladimir tempera on panel 104 by 69 centimetres 41 in 27 in painted about 1131 in Constantinople The icon was painted by an unknown artist most likely in Constantinople It was sent to Kiev as a gift before being transferred to the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir It is traditionally said that the icon did not leave Vladimir until 1395 when it was brought to Moscow to protect the city from an invasion by Timur although the historical accuracy of this claim is uncertain By at least the sixteenth century it was in the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow where it remained until it was moved to the State Tretyakov Gallery after the Russian Revolution It was subject to an ownership dispute in the 1990s between the gallery and Moscow Patriarchate which ended with its relocation to the Church of St Nicholas in Tolmachi An arrangement was made to operate the church with dual status as a house church and part of the museum The icon remains there today and is only accessible via an underground passage from the gallery to the church where liturgies are still held Contents 1 History 1 1 Origins 1 2 Transfer to Moscow 1 3 Post revolution 2 Description 3 Significance 3 1 In Russian history 3 2 As a religious icon 4 Location and display 5 Copies and influence 6 See also 7 Notes 8 Citations 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External linksHistory EditOrigins Edit The surviving portion of the Bogolyubovo Castle fr The icon is dated to the earlier part of the 12th century and arrived in Rus around 1131 This is consistent with the account given in the Russian Chronicles 2 3 4 5 Similar to other high quality Byzantine works of art it is thought to have been painted in Constantinople 5 6 7 Only the faces are original with the clothes repainted after suffering damage when a metal cover or riza was placed over them 2 5 and in a fire in 1195 5 4 In about 1131 the Greek Patriarch of Constantinople sent the icon as a gift to Grand Duke Yuri Dolgorukiy of Kiev 8 9 Academic Sona Hoisington attributes this in part to a greater effort by Byzantines to convert and Christianize the Slavic peoples at the time 10 It was kept in a Vyshhorod nunnery until Yuri s son Andrey of Bogolyubovo brought it to Vladimir in 1155 8 In a traditional account the horses transporting the icon had stopped near Vladimir and refused to go further Accordingly many people of Rus interpreted this as a sign that the Theotokos a wanted the icon to stay there The place was named Bogolyubovo or the one loved by God Andrey placed it in his Bogolyubovo residence and built the Assumption Cathedral to legitimize his claim that Vladimir had replaced Kiev as the principal city of Rus 11 The icon was soon moved to the Assumption Cathedral after its consecration in 1160 12 Prince Andrew removing the icon from a convent in Vyshgorod A miniature from the Illustrated Chronicle of Ivan the Terrible Following the consecration of the Assumption Cathedral which was soon followed by other churches dedicated to the Virgin there is no record of the icon ever leaving Vladimir until 1395 However its presence did not prevent the sack and burning of the city by the Mongols in 1238 when the icon was damaged in the fire It was restored soon after the event and again in 1431 and in 1512 13 14 9 Transfer to Moscow Edit This sixteenth century icon shows Metropolitan Cyprian and Vasily I welcoming the Vladimir icon in Moscow A legend formed that the icon was painted by Luke the Evangelist from life the first written account of this story dates back to 1512 15 The intercession of the Theotokos through the image has also been credited with saving Moscow from Tatar hordes in 1451 and 1480 12 The image was brought from Vladimir to Moscow in 1395 during Tamerlane s invasion The site where the Muscovites met the Vladimir delegation is commemorated by the Sretensky Monastery b which is considered to be built where it occurred However no archeological evidence supports this claim and much of the fifteenth to sixteenth century church was destroyed after renovations by the Russian Orthodox Church 16 Vasily I of Moscow spent a night crying over the icon and Tamerlane s armies retreated the same day The Muscovites refused to return the icon to Vladimir and placed it in the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin 17 David Miller suggests that the icon was in fact normally still in Vladimir with some excursions to Moscow until the 1520s Crediting the icon with saving Moscow in 1395 does not appear in sources until the late 15th century and the full version of the story until accounts of 1512 and then the 1560s 18 From the 16th century the Vladimirskaya began to be featured as an important symbol in a series of politicized legends linking Moscow to pre Mongol Rus and positioning it as the centre of Christianity after Rome and Byzantium initially to sustain the imperial pretensions of Ivan IV and later to influence state policy under the Riurikid and Romanov dynasties 19 Post revolution Edit Under the Bolsheviks the icon came into the possession of the State Tretyakov Gallery 20 Displayed as a work of art 20 it was first put on display in the gallery in 1930 and kept there for at least the next 11 years 21 During the Battle of Moscow Joseph Stalin allegedly had the icon flown around the city as the Germans began to invade 11 22 This was first described by Moscow city official Viktor Volokhov in his book Municipalnaya miliciya v Rossijskoj Federacii 22 In 1993 it was moved to the Epiphany Cathedral for a Divine Liturgy in the wake of tensions between President Boris Yeltsin and the Russian Duma Though it was damaged during the excursion it was soon restored and given to the Church of St Nicholas in Tolmachi 23 24 Description Edit Details of Our lady of Vladimir icon Various stages of damage to and restoration of the icon as analyzed by A I Anisimov The icon is a tempera painting on wood 106 by 69 centimetres 42 in 27 in in size with the central 78 by 55 centimetres 31 in 22 in portion being original and the rest being a later expansion undertaken possibly to accommodate a larger riza The icon depicts Jesus Christ as a child being held in the arms of his mother Mary They embrace cheek to cheek with the child gazing towards and reaching for Mary She holds him with one arm and solemnly looks out towards the viewer The faces and hands are painted with greenish olive sankir a mix of ochre pigment and soot and transparent layers of brighter ochre the child s face is rendered in a lighter shade than the mother s perhaps to reflect the difference in their age The child s clothes are painted with dark ochre and gold The original painting bore the inscription MR 8Y an abbreviation for Mother of God of which only parts survive 25 9 In its nine centuries of existence the icon has been restored and overpainted at least five times to deal with damage and deterioration including a fifteenth century restoration thought to have been led by Andrei Rublev It is mainly the faces of Mary and Jesus and the gold ground above her head that are original twelfth century paint In the past the icon has been covered with several elaborately designed oklad and riza revetments which caused damage to the frame The reverse which is much less well known contains an image of the Hetoimasia prepared throne and instruments of Christ s Passion that was painted in c 14th century prior to that the reverse side had a painting of an unidentified saint 26 25 27 Hetoimasia and instruments of Christ s Passion painted on the reverse side of the icon ca 14th century A riza for the icon dating to 1657 Among icons of Virgin Mary with Jesus Our lady of Vladimir is classed as an Eleusa icon Russian Oumilenie due to the tender attachment between mother and child 28 Theologians and believers have also commented upon the icons symbology and the religious sentiments it inspires Contemplating the icon theologian Henri Nouwen remarked that the Virgin s eyes glance at neither the child or the viewer but appear to look inward and outward at once that her free hand gestures towards the baby to open a space for us to approach Jesus without fear and that the child is shown as a wise man dressed in adult clothes 29 Literary scholar S S Averintsev interpreted the mix of maternal tenderness and poignant sorrow seen in Mary s expression as representative of the emotions generated by the events of Nativity and Calvary respectively 28 Jesus s bare feet are seen as symbolizing his physical reality his garments of gold the Kingdom of Heaven and the three stars on Mary s dress one occluded by the child her virginity before during and after her son s birth 30 Its artistic quality has been highly praised Art historian David Talbot Rice said that Our Lady of Vladimir is admitted by all who have seen it to be one of the most outstanding religious paintings of the world 7 Art historian George Heard Hamilton praises its craftsmanship and conception and notes how in its representation of the subject s faces the icon subtly transitions from its normal use of contour lines to a refined surface texture It is painted in an artistic style typical for Byzantine art of the period with features including smaller mouths refined eyes and elongating Mary s nose However by avoiding the use of demarcating line as became common in later Byzantine art and by setting up the complex interplay of the mother and child s glances the icon adds to the illusion of life in the piece The child s features are reminiscent of classical sculpture though the artist renders an expression truer to an actual infant s 9 The expressive and humanistic character of the icon differentiates it from earlier Byzantine art and exemplify the artistic developments seen during the Komnenos dynasty 4 6 7 Significance EditIn Russian history Edit The icon is generally considered to be one of the most cherished symbols in Russian history 23 31 32 Academic David Miller has ascribed this to its close connection to Russian national consciousness throughout its existence 33 Its transfer from Kiev to Vladimir was used by Bogolyubsky to legitimize Vladimir s claim as the new center of government in the Rus 9 Additionally its intimate association with important Russian historical events gave Our Lady of Vladimir the distinction of being a national palladium 9 11 The most recent of these events being the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis when it was brought to the Epiphany Cathedral at the request of Patriarch Alexy II and Mayor of Moscow Yury Luzhkov in their attempt to bring peace to the country 22 As a religious icon Edit Our Lady of Vladimir s veneration is also likely enhanced by the fact that the Theotokos is regarded as the holy protectress of Russia 11 The venerated image has been used in celebration of coronations of tsars elections of patriarchs and other important ceremonies of state 11 20 34 The icon has three feast days held throughout the year in celebration to specific events it is associated with 12 3 June O S 21 May c to celebrate Moscow s protection from Crimean Khan Mehmed Giray in 1521 6 July O S 23 June for in 1480 for their victory against Khan Ahmed during the Great Stand on the Ugra River 8 September O S 26 August to commemorate the Muscovite deliverance from pending invasion by Tamerlane 35 Location and display EditMain article Church of St Nicholas in Tolmachi Our Lady of Vladimir on display within the church Our Lady of Vladimir is on display at the Church of St Nicholas in Tolmachi 36 37 As a result of an agreement between the Tretyakov and Moscow Patriarchate the church is both an active Russian Orthodox house church and functioning museum 14 Previously it there had been a contentious ownership dispute between the two 38 32 In 1997 the Tretyakov completed a full restoration of the church 14 Security improvements to store and display art were added and an underground passageway was additionally made to connect it to the State Tretyakov Gallery 39 In order to house the famous icon a temperature controlled bulletproof glass case was commissioned 14 On 7 September 1996 Our Lady of Vladimir was first installed in the special case located within the church and the next day Patriarch Alexy II consecrated the church According to Archpriest Nikolai Sokolov the rector for the church the case would able to withstand the firing of a Kalashnikov rifle as well as many other potential hazards 40 Due to its dual status as both church and museum visitors are allowed to pray before the icon and divine Liturgies are regularly held on selected days However visitors can only enter the church through the Tretyakov Gallery and via the underground passageway 14 40 Copies and influence Edit Fifteenth century copy sometimes attributed to Andrei Rublev A late nineteenth century copy largely covered with riza revetments Even more than most the original icon has been repeatedly duplicated for centuries and many copies also have considerable artistic and religious significance of their own 41 According to Suzanne Massie it became a standard for many Russian contemporary depictions of Mary 42 In preparation for the 1980 Summer Olympics a chapel was constructed for athletes to be able to pray before competition which hosted a copy of the icon 22 See also EditOur Lady of Vladimir Church a church in St Petersburg dedicated to the icon List of oldest Russian iconsNotes Edit Greek for Virgin Mary literally meaning Birth Giver of God Sretenie being the Church Slavonic term for meeting The dates provided are in both old and new style The canonical dates for the feast days are in old style because the Russian Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar See Gregorian calendar Difference between Gregorian and Julian calendar dates Citations Edit Yegorov 2018 online a b Weitzmann 1982 p 17 Tretyakov Guide 2000 p 280 a b c Runciman 1975 p 154 a b c d Miller 1968 p 658 a b Funk amp Wagnalls 2018 database a b c Rice 1946 p 89 a b Miller 1968 pp 660 661 a b c d e f Hamilton 1983 pp 107 108 Hoisington 2019 database a b c d e Phillips 2011 database a b c Alekseyenko 2008 online Miller 1968 pp 658 659 a b c d e Lebedeva 2006 online Miller 1968 p 663 Beliaev 1997 p 38 Evans 2004 p 165 Miller 1968 pp 659 660 Miller 1968 pp 669 670 a b c Averintsev 1994 p 613 Bakatkina 2017 pp 44 45 a b c d Bakatkina 2017 p 45 a b Russian Life 1999 p 8 The Economist 1993 pp 109 110 a b Bakatkina 2017 pp 8 25 TVkultura 2014 online Elkins 1993 database a b Averintsev 1994 pp 612 615 Nouwen 1985 pp 387 389 Forest 2008 pp 78 80 Nouwen 1985 p 387 a b Jackson 1995 p 344 Miller 1968 pp 668 670 Miller 1968 p 657 OCA 2016 online Tretyakov Guide 2000 pp 278 280 Pravda 2019 online The Economist 1993 database Insight Guides 2016 pp 99 100 a b Strelchik 2012 online Evans 2004 pp 164 165 Massie 1980 p 45 References EditAlekseyenko Anton 9 September 2008 Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God Orthodoxy and the World Retrieved 12 August 2019 Averintsev Sergej S 1994 The Image of the Virgin Mary in Russian Piety Gregorianum Gregorian Biblical Press 75 4 611 622 ISSN 0017 4114 JSTOR 23579744 Bakatkina Maria 5 January 2017 Hands off That Sacred Image The Vladimir Icon and Its Power PDF Thesis University of Virginia doi 10 18130 V3NQ0F Retrieved 15 August 2019 via LibraETD Beliaev Leonid A July August 1997 Mystery Monasteries Archaeology Archaeological Institute of America 50 4 36 38 ISSN 0003 8113 JSTOR 41658720 Forest Jim 2008 Praying with Icons Orbis Books ISBN 978 1 60833 077 5 Byzantine Art and Architecture Funk amp Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia Chicago World Book Inc 2018 EBSCOhost by218900 Commemoration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God and the deliverance of Moscow from the Invasion of Tamerlane oca org The Orthodox Church in America 26 August 2016 Retrieved 15 August 2019 Elkins James 1 April 1993 From original to copy and back again The British Journal of Aesthetics Oxford University Press 33 2 113 120 doi 10 1093 bjaesthetics 33 2 113 ISSN 0007 0904 GALE A13772791 Evans Helen C ed 2004 Byzantium Faith and Power 1261 1557 Metropolitan Museum of Art Yale University Press ISBN 978 1 58839 114 8 OCLC 893698628 Hamilton George Heard 1983 The art and architecture of Russia 3rd ed New Haven Yale University Press ISBN 0 300 05327 4 Hoisington Sona 1 March 2019 The Middle Period Dig into History Cricket Media 21 3 20 ISSN 1539 7130 GALE A581990256 Insight Guides Pocket Moscow Travel Guide eBook Apa Publications UK Limited 2016 ISBN 978 1 78671 677 4 Retrieved 9 August 2019 Jackson David May 1995 The State Tretyakov Gallery Moscow The Burlington Magazine Review Burlington Magazine Publications 137 1106 342 344 ISSN 0007 6287 JSTOR 886644 Kirdina N ed 1 January 2000 State Tretyakov Gallery Guidebook in French Translated by Cook K M 2nd rev ed Moscow Avant Garde ISBN 978 5863941066 OCLC 54071928 OL 9058828M Lebedeva Elena 18 December 2006 Xram Svyatogo Nikolaya Chudotvorca V Tolmachah Church of St Nicholas the Wonderworker in Tolmachi pravoslavie ru in Russian Retrieved 11 August 2019 Massie Suzanne 1980 Land of the Firebird the Beauty of Old Russia New York City Simon and Schuster ISBN 0 671 23051 4 Miller David B October 1968 Legends of the Icon of Our Lady of Vladimir A Study of the Development of Muscovite National Consciousness Speculum Medieval Academy of America 43 4 657 670 doi 10 2307 2855325 ISSN 0038 7134 JSTOR 2855325 S2CID 154449436 Nouwen Henri J M 11 May 1985 The Icon of the Virgin of Vladimir An Invitation to Belong to God America America Media 152 18 387 390 ISSN 0002 7049 EBSCOhost 35621166 O chem molyatsya Vladimirskoj ikone Bozhiej Materi About prayer for the Vladimir icon of the Mother of God www ap22 ru in Russian Pravda 3 June 2019 Retrieved 11 August 2019 Our Lady at Rest Russian Life Montpelier VT Russian Information Services Inc 42 5 8 August September 1999 ISSN 1066 999X GALE A58065134 Phillips Peter 25 June 2011 Band of gold the historic towns north east of Moscow give a beautiful glimpse into the dawn of Russian civilisation Spectator London The Spectator Ltd 316 9539 59 ISSN 0038 6952 GALE A259961864 Rice D Talbot April 1946 The Greek Exhibition at Burlington House The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs 88 517 86 90 ISSN 0951 0788 JSTOR 869212 Runciman Steven 1975 Byzantine Style and Civilization Penguin Books ISBN 978 0 14 013754 5 Strelchik Evgeny 12 December 2012 Tretyakovka priglashaet v hram Intervyu ZhMPiCV Tserkovny Vestnik Interview in Russian Retrieved 12 August 2019 The resurrection of holy Russia The Economist Vol 329 no 7834 Economist Intelligence Unit N A Incorporated 23 October 1993 pp 109 110 GALE A14570055 Chto skryvaet obratnaya storona ikony Vladimirskoj Bozhej Materi TVkultura in Russian 13 March 2014 Retrieved 24 August 2019 Weitzmann Kurt 1982 The Icon London Evans Brothers Ltd ISBN 0 237 45645 1 Yegorov Oleg 12 November 2018 5 most famous and miraculous icons that Russians venerate Russia Beyond Retrieved 9 August 2019 Further reading EditBeckwith John 1970 Early Christian and Byzantine Art 2nd ed Penguin History of Art ISBN 978 0 14 056033 6 Belz Elaine Elizabeth 2016 A Wounded Presence The Virgin of Vlaidimir Icon The Graduate Journal of Harvard Divinity School Harvard College Retrieved 12 August 2019 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Our Lady of Vladimir Theotokos of Vladimir on OrthodoxWiki Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God at Orthodox Encyclopedia in Russian Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Virgin of Vladimir amp oldid 1116819824, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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