This particular image of the Virgin Hodegetria—“She who points the way”—is inspired by the great 11th-century mosaic in the apse of the basilica church of Santa Maria Assunta on the island of Torcello in the Venetian lagoon. Mary holds the Christ Child in loving embrace while with her right hand she gestures towards him as the Savior of the world. She is dressed in a robe painted with pure lapis lazuli, the most expensive of all pigments, in honor of her status as the Mother of God and Queen of Heaven. The icon was commissioned in celebration of the ministry of Father James Ross Smith at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in New York City.​

 

Icon of the Virgin Hodegetria; 2025; tempera and gold leaf on board; 11” x 30"; The Church of St. Mary the Virgin in the City of New York