Today, feast of the Annunciation, we contemplate Our Lady of Vladimir, Russian icon, (twelfth century). Belongs to the type of Our Lady of Tenderness. It is one of the most revered images of Our Lady in Russia.
Our first glance goes towards the eyes of Our Lady. Although her head is bowed toward her Son, her gaze is fixed on the viewer, almost with a sense of urgency, as if against a windowpane, and her large, beautiful almond-shaped eyes bearing a deep melancholy are the defining feature of her face.
“My child, why do you make my Son and me suffer? Couldn’t you do more? Couldn’t you take your life more seriously? Couldn’t you be more faithful to your Christian vocation? Leave aside whatever separates you from my Son, and come with me."
Our Lady’s veil tells us of her immaculate purity.
We continue our contemplation looking at the details of the icon following a circular path. Next, her deep blue mantle evokes the spiritual depth of her love.
Three stars appear on Mary's dress (one covered by the Child): her virginity before, during and after her Son's birth. The stars help us also to realize that she is the favorite Daughter of God the Father, the Mother of God the Son, and the Spouse and Temple of the Holy Spirit.
Next, we admire her hands. She cradles her Child in her right hand, and she supports Him. Am I “supporting” the Body of Jesus, which is the Church? Am I taking Him to my friends and colleagues?
Our Mother’s left hand calls the viewer’s attention to Jesus; she always directs us to Him, “Do whatever He tells you”, she said, opening a space for us to approach Jesus without fear.
Now we are gazing at the Child. The contrast between Our Lady’s dark mantle and his bright golden robes, her shadowed face, and his bright face, creates an effect that feels timeless and eternal; she seems to recede to the background even as she offers her Son to the viewer. Mother, that I should never be separated from Him.
The Child sits in her right hand, presented as a wise man dressed in adult clothes. His bare feet dangling, showing us that He took a human nature from her. Paradoxically, the Virgin and Child sit motionless and serene; and yet the Child’s whole body moves toward her. His eyes are directed toward his mother’s face. He reaches upward to her, embraces her fully around the neck with his left hand, clutching her veil with his right, and pressing his cheek to hers.
The Child shows us that God is not ashamed to be close to us, our God, to be identified as the One who is involved with us; here, though, it is as if He is not merely unashamed but positively shameless in his eagerness, longing to embrace and be embraced. It is not simply that God condescends not to mind our company; rather he is passionate for it. The image of God’s action we are presented with here is of a hungry love. My Lord, you are seeking my love; and I distancing myself from you.
Closing the circular movement, we conclude where we began, looking at Our Mother’s countenance. Mother, the gentle tenderness you share with your child is a quiet, strong feeling, reflected from your image. There is no distance between his soft, but total embrace and you. He loves you. Yes, there is no doubt! O how this Child loves you! And he is God. And yet, His Body is from your body, his flesh from your flesh, his Heart from your heart. His eyes praise you and thank you for your share in his humanity.
The entire surface of the icon, including its frame, is uniformly pitted and chipped. Perhaps the flaked paint and scars on the surface serve as a reminder to us who are wounded, and not yet fitted for the beatific vision. We can approach Mary and Jesus in this icon because it reminds us our condition: worn, damaged, and impermanent. And while they have reached resurrected glory, we still have to fight for it with our obedience to God’s Will.
These abrasions also suggest that over the centuries, devotees have not only handled the icon, but have touched it in meaningful gestures, connecting to the Virgin and Child through their hands and his foot. They give us a tangible experience of how Jesus and Mary do not remain ensconced in heaven but participate in our daily endeavors.
The golden background of the icon evokes a situation outside the limits of time and space, our true Fatherland, heaven.
Video: