Religious art
Virgin and Child
Virgin "Hodigitria"
Virgin Hodigitria (Pointer of the Way, Guide of the Church)

This type is the most common portrayal of the Theotokos. Legend has it that St. Luke the Evangelist was the first to paint an icon according to this style, thereby establishing a prototype of the Virgin Hodigitria. ?Hodigitria? literally translates as ?She who shows the Way.?
Icons of this type reflect the Theotokos pointing with her right hand to the Christ Child, whom she carries with her left. The austere and majestic figures emphasize Christ?s divinity. Both the Virgin and Child look directly at the observer, captivating and communicating with him. The Child offers the benediction with His right hand while He carries a scroll in His left. Christ is depicted as a child only in stature, as His mature face and long forehead symbolize His wisdom. The Theotokos, by pointing in Christ?s direction, communicates that He is the Way and we must follow Him. She speaks to humanity and declares that Christ is the path toward salvation.

The image of the Hodegetria holds a privileged place in the iconography of the Mother of God. It has been and remains the preferred image of the Western world, even though its origin is specifically Eastern.Here is how the icon received its name by a miracle of the Holy Virgin:
In Constantinople, the Mother of God would have appeared to two blind people. Taking them by the hand, she guided them to the famous monastery and sanctuary of the Hodegetria where she restored their vision.Built by Michael III (842-867), the sanctuary was called Church of the Guides because the army chiefs used to pray before the icon, which was named after the sanctuary, before they left for their campaign.Since that time, the blind and all who suffered eye disorders came to the source nearby the Church to wash their eyes so they would be healed. This legend has made the icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria into a source of grace for those who are looking for God. The icon makes us understand Mary as « She who shows the way to God » for she is literally: Hodegetria, which means She who shows the Way.