| |
 |
Icon, Our Lady of Ilige,
Lebanon |
  | | | |
| |
| Our
Lady of Ilige
(Elige), Or the Patriarchal Maronite
Icon |
|
|
HISTORY
and ICONOGRAPHY
|
| Our Lady of Ilige - Lebanon |
 |
| Icon, Our
Lady of
Ilige | | |
This
Icon date more than 1000 years ago, and
was the Maronite Patriarch personal Icon.
This Icon traveled with the Patriarch to all the
places he runs to inside Lebanon from the
Mamluks and from all the Maronites’
enemies.
It is known that this Icon also named the
Icon of Our Lady of Ilige where the
Patriarchal resident was within the village of
Mayfouq for more than 500 years long. This
Icon is considered highly sacred within the
Maronites.
The Church of Our Lady of Ilige is located in
the village of Mayfouq in the district of
Jbeil. It was built at the site of a former
pagan temple, and parts of that structure
are still visible in the Church building.
The word
Ilige is derived from the name of the temple
which was to honor the god of depth. It is
claimed that Christians made the site a
Church back in Apostolic times, dedicating it to
the Mother of God as Our Lady of Ilige.
From the 12th to the mid- 15th century this
Church was the refuge, shelter and home of
our Maronite
Patriarchs. | |
| |
|
The original icon of Our Lady of Ilige was actually
buried under ten layers of
paint in subsequent attempts to fix,
improve, or adjust
the icon over the centuries. As a result,
the icon was covered over,
only to be discovered
in the restoration undertaken in the 1980’s. To
the surprise of the
Carmelite nuns assigned to the
restoration, layer after layer was
uncovered to reveal
the original, an icon of Syriac Maronite
art dating to the 10th
century. It is one of our
oldest preserved icons which belonged to the
Patriarchs. We do not
have many pieces of our art
from the early centuries due to wars,
persecutions and the
destruction of Churches over time. The
discovery of this icon is a
blessing and gift to
the Maronites, as it preserves the unique style of
Syriac Maronite art
form.
*********
This beautiful icon, also known as Our Lady of
the Maronites,
depicts the Virgin Mother
supporting on her lap, the Child of her womb,
Jesus Christ (a
favorite theme of St. Ephrem.) It
was discovered at the Patriarchal
Church of Ilige,
Lebanon and is dated around the 10th Century.
After uncovering several
diverse pictorial layers,
this icon has been revealed and marks an
historic event in
the history of Syro-Maronite iconography.
This painting continues the
tradition initiated by
the RABBULA manuscript of the 6th Century.
The antiquity and authenticity of this icon
seem to be supported and
verified by the following
elements: the colors of Mary's robes (deep
blue) and Christ's
(deep purple) are faithful to the
Syriac tradition dating to the 6th
Century. Blue (sky
tone) signifies divinity, and purple (kingly)
signifies royalty. The
halos of both figures are a
simple wide band (gold) typical of Syriac
iconography and free
of Byzantine influence,
namely a cross in Christ's halo and lettering
for the "Mother of
God" in the Lady's. The profession
of faith made by the symbolic form
of blessing of
Jesus' right hand, i.e. three fingers joined (to
signify the three
Persons in one God), and the
index and other finger (signify that
Christ is God and
man.) What is not visible in His left hand is
the typical scroll which
Jesus holds (refers to
Isaiah in the Old Testament and Revelations in
the New Testament)
Moreover, the Lady's right hand
declares the same Chalcedonian formula
of faith - the
duality of Christ's natures - divine and
human. As is typical in Syriac
icons, the Virgin
Mother's hair is completely concealed and covered
by the headband worn
in the Semitic culture. The
two star-like symbols on Mary's head and
shoulder represent
her enduring virginity before and after
Christ's birth. According to
St. Ephrem, "the
First Eve by her 'hearing' of the serpent gave the
world death; the
Second Eve, by her 'hearing' of
the angel gave the world LIFE."
The facial features of both figures (Syriac
Orient) reveal the
delicate, gentle and
transparent divine presence. Art of the Latin West
depicts the faces
mostly human, while that of the
Byzantine East, mostly divine.
…Mother of
God… Generations of heaven and earth
join to say Blessed are you, ark
of Mysteries Blessed
are you, altar of the First Fruit Blessed
are you, fertile valley.
Blessed are you, bright
sunrise. Blessed are you, joy of motherhood. We
petition you, O
Christ, through the prayers of
Your holy Mother, renew the face of the
earth which You
created out of love for us. Where there
is death and decay, restore
life; where there is
famine and suffering, bring relief; where the
earth is parched and
unyielding, provide rain.
Bless the fields with grain, the fruit trees
with blossoms and
the bushes with new growth. Restore
the work of Your hands, so that
earth and all that
is on it may worship You now and forever.
Sedro,
|
|
"Our
Lady of the Seeds" -
Maronite
Fenqitho
|
| |
| | |
| |
|
Saint
Charbel
Maklouf,
Father of
Lebanese order Maronite |
|
Lebanese Saint | |
| | |
| |
 < |
|
Sharbel Crazy by God |
|
 |
| |
|
| |
|
|
| | | | |
|