The Mother of God of Hodigitria

Theotokos Hodegetria of the Passion icon, Russia, 19th c. The depiction of Theotokos Hodegetria of the Passion, known as 'the Suffering One' in Russia, is venerated in both Eastern and Western Christianity - see S.12839MŁ. The presented icon testifies to the popularity of this depiction in private worship. It is cast in brass and decorated with enamel. The name, referring to Christ's death on the cross, is derived from the way in which Infant Jesus is depicted. He is grasping his mother's hand with both of his own and turns his hand towards one of the two angels holding the instruments of the Lord's Passion. In Latin Western Christianity tradition, this depiction is known as the Theotokos of Perpetual Help, in reference to the icon located in Rome, whose time and place of origin are not known. According to researchers, it comes from Crete or the Athos peninsula in Greece, from the period of the 9th-11th c. Legend has it that the painting, acquired by a merchant in the east, was transported across the sea by ship. There, through the travellers' prayer, it helped them overcome the danger of drowning during a storm and safely reached Italy with the travellers. The icon, deemed miraculous, was placed in the Roman Church of St. Matthew. During the Napoleonic invasion of Rome, the painting was lost and was found over half a century later by the monk Michael Marchi of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. In 1865, pope Pius IX entrusted the icon to the care of the Redemptorists, directing them to make it known across the world. The order fulfilled this charge through missionary activity. The icon was placed in the Roman Church of St. Alphonsus, where it remains to this day. The coronation of the painting took place in 1867 and in 1876, the Catholic Church established the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help for the 27th of June, according to the Gregorian calendar. Teresa Bagińska-Żurawska https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9243-3967