Mammal

Sometimes the Virgin is portrayed in a crown and with angels.

A maforium can be blue or green - as a symbol of the earthly origin of the Virgin.

Behind the Virgin Mary there can be the sun and the moon, images of the adult Jesus or saints, in particular Nicholas the Wonderworker , John the Baptist , etc.

Often on icons with this plot, little Jesus holds his foot with his hand.

The emergence and origin of the cult

The cult of the Virgin “Mammals” is perhaps the oldest of the cults of the Blessed Virgin in Christianity . The fresco in the Roman catacombs of Priscilla (second half of the II century) is the oldest image with this plot and at the same time the oldest known image of the Virgin Mary to date.

The more ancient - a fresco with the plot “ Adoration of the Magi ”, which, according to the Byzantinist Nikodim Kondakov , was in the same catacombs and dated by specialists at the beginning of the II century, could not be preserved. However, at the beginning of the XX century it existed.

Especially developed the cult of the Virgin "Mammals" in Egypt , where the Coptic Church existed and now exists. The fresco of the Mother of God, who feeds little Jesus with milk from her breast, was preserved on the surviving walls of the Coptic monastery of St. Jeremiah in Saqqara (V — X centuries). It dates from the 5th – 7th centuries — at least, it appeared before the Arab conquest of Egypt (640–641). Another fresco of about the same period is on the ruins of the monastery of St. Apollonius of Egypt (or Thebaid) in Bawiti (IV-XI centuries).

The ancient Egyptians depicted the goddess on the throne with her young son, the god Horus , whom she also breast-fed. The Copts of the Virgin Mary were depicted in a similar manner. And although, as already mentioned, the oldest depiction of the Virgin Mary “Mammals” is located in Rome, however, Nicodemus Kondakov believes, it was the Coptic images that became the source of borrowing the motif of the Virgin “Mammals” in the West. Mostly through southern France and Italy during the Carolingian era .

Western tradition

The result of this borrowing can be considered the image of a “Mammal” on a throne surrounded by two figures, carved on the ivory cover of the famous Metz Gospel dated to the 9th century.

The cult of the Virgin "Mammals" was common in Italy. In the left nave of the Basilica of San Giovanni Evangelista Ravenna , a mosaic depiction of the Virgin Mary “Mammals” of the early 13th century has been preserved. In the beginning - in the first half of the XIV century, the image of the Blessed Virgin , breastfeeding the baby Jesus, could be seen in the temples of Tuscany and Florence .

In the first half of the 1370s, the master of the early Renaissance Barnab da Modena created the icon of the Virgin Mary “Mammals” - it was from her, by the way, that the manner of depicting little Jesus , holding his leg with his hand, was widely borrowed.

But the most famous image in the world of the Virgin Mary, breastfeeding the baby Jesus, is the painting “ Madonna Litta ” by the great Italian artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). In the years 1490-1491 he wrote it for the City Hall of Milan .

It is interesting, however, that already in the 7th century in the West there was a cult of milk of the Blessed Virgin . An ancient Catholic shrine is the Milk Grotto in Bethlehem . According to legend, the Holy Family stayed here while fleeing to Egypt , in the same place the Virgin Mary breast-fed the little Christ . In the V century, there was a temple on the remains of which now stands the church of the Order of the Franciscans .

After the adoption by the Council of Trent (1545-1563) of the Catholic Church of the decree prohibiting nudity, the cases of creating images of the Virgin Mary feeding the Baby gradually decreased until they almost stopped. Therefore, the cult of the Virgin Mary “Mammals” in the West, unlike the Orthodox East, did not develop further.

Eastern tradition

In Byzantine sacred art, the plot "Mammals" appeared only in the XIV century as a result of borrowing from the West. Spread mainly in Greece and the Balkan countries.

There is, however, a purely Orthodox version of the origin of the icon of the Virgin “Mammals”. True, it does not explain the appearance of the original icon and is based mainly on traditions. According to this version, the icon of the Theotokos "Mammal", recognized miraculous, was already in the 5th century BC. e. in Athos and was transferred to the Monk Savva the Sanctified (439-532). He created a laurel near Jerusalem , later named after him. According to legend, Savva the Sanctified before his death bequeathed to transfer the icon to a pilgrim of royal origin of the same name with him, who will visit the Lavra founded by him. This happened only in the XIII century. The pilgrim turned out to be Bishop Savva of Serbia (1169-1236) - an Orthodox saint, the son of the Serbian Grand Duke Stefan Nemani , a famous enlightener. Together with the “Mammal”, he was given the icon of the Virgin “Three Hands” .

Mother of God “Mammals”, which belonged to Sava the Sanctified , until she was transferred to the Serbian Lenten (Serbian monastery) on Mount Athos .

In 1860, the list of icons was brought to the Kursk province .

In Ukraine, revered lists of the miraculous icon are in the Holy Assumption Patriarch and Holy Elias Monasteries in Odessa . However, this icon was not common in Ukrainian churches, although it was very popular as a home.

In Tula in 1859, the only monastery in Russia was created in honor of the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "Mammal" Mother of God Panteleimonov Shcheglovsky Monastery.

Honor

Mothers were asked to “Mammal” to send them more milk, and also when it was time to wean the baby.

They also prayed to the “Mammal” for the health of infants.

The celebration of the icon of the Virgin "Mammals" in the Orthodox Church takes place on January 12 (according to the Julian calendar ), according to the Gregorian - January 25.

• Blissful womb
• Ancient Egypt
• Catacombs of Priscilla
• Leonardo da Vinci
• Renaissance
• Cathedral of Trent

• Kondakov N. "Iconography of the Mother of God." - SPb. - T. I, 1914. - T. II, 1915
• Lazarev. V. N. "History of Byzantine painting." - M., "Art" - 1986
• Lipinskaya Y., Martsinyak M. Mythology of Ancient Egypt. - M., "Art". - 1983
• The peasant E. “Our Lady. Description of Her earthly life and miraculous icons. ” - M. ANO "Orthodox Journal" Christian Holiday ". - 2002
• Chadwick W. Women, Art, and Society. - London. Thames and Hudson. - 1990

• Icon of the Mother of God "Mammal"
• Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Virgin Mary before her icon of the "Mammal"
• The official site of the Holy Elias Odessa Monastery
• Documentary film about the icon "Mammal"
• Figurine of Isis at the Louvre
• Catacombs of St. Priscilla. Travel blog of Alena Klimenko