Kirillo Belozersky Iconostasis, 15th Century Russian

This is most definitely an icon of Thanksgiving.

The Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos* to the Temple, recalls the events written in the Protoevangelium of James concerning the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her parents, Saints Joachim and Anna.

Mary goes to the Temple. In gratitude for the gift of a child late in life, Saints Joachim and Anna vowed to consecrate their child to the God by presenting her to the Temple of Jerusalem to become one of the seven Temple Virgins from the line of David. Temple Virgins, like those in the icon who are part of the procession, were responsible for weaving the temple veil that protected the Holy of Holies. Here they walk behind Mary holding a light (candle) so that little Mary would not be frightened. The candle or the lamps (in other icons) are another visual cue, that Mary is the spiritual light in front of the others.

Symbolism as the Ark. As the Virgin Mary grew into her role as Temple Virgin, it would become her task to spin the purple and scarlet thread to weave the sacred curtain guarding the Holy of Holies in the temple. The symbolism is so very rich.  The color of the veil, red, is the color of the blood of martyrs. Purple is the color of kings. In icons and even early Christian art, the Virgin Mary spins the veil of red and purple threads that will be used to weave the veil, safeguarding the tabernacle. The parallel symbolism is her body weaving the fiber of her womb to safeguard a king, the Savior. This visual reference to Mary as the temple for the Ark of the Covenant is depicted in other icons and artwork such as The Annunciation, where she holds a distaff of red thread in one hand and the basket containing the fiber is near her feet.

The Red Drape/Veil. Another interesting hidden meaning in iconography is the red drape, hung between the buildings at the top of the icon. Whenever you see a red drape in an icon, it cues the viewer that an important event is taking place inside, even if it looks like the scene is outdoors.  The red drape is another reference to Mary’s position as the protector of our Savior and humanity, the temple curtain that protected the Holy of Holies, and the veil that would be torn asunder with the fall of the temple following the crucifixion, signifying the new covenant.

Divine Connections. In this icon, the Virgin Mary was presented to the High Priest Zacariah, the future father of St. John the Baptist. The Temple was on a mountain top and so there were steps which the three-year-old Virgin Mary reportedly climbed entirely on her own to willingly accept her parents’ sacrifice, another reference to Mary’s obedient “yes” to God. In the right corner of the icon, we see Archangel Gabriel feeding the Virgin bread, her sole source of sustenance.

Theotokos Foreshadowed. The combination of the symbolism in the icon, and the knowledge of scripture reveals how the Presentation icon has deep theological meaning, primarily that Mary is the ark of the covenant – she is a branch of the house of David (reference to budding staff), she is fed the bread of angels (manna), she is the holy vessel who contains the Logos (the tablets of the Law).

The hymn of Saint George, the Hymnographer:

“The law prefigured thee most gloriously as the tabernacle, he divine jar of manna, the wondrous ark, the veil of the temple, the rod of Aaron, he never to be destroyed, and the gate of God; and so all these teach us to cry to thee: O pure Virgin, Thou art truly highly exalted above all.”

*Theotokos is the Greek word which means Mother of God, or birth giver of God. Since Greek was the primary ecclesial language of antiquity, icons refer to the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Theotokos.