The Pre-conservation Studies of Two Icons of the Virgin Hodegetria in the Church of San Giorgio dei Greci have been sponsored by the Boston Chapter of Save Venice.

Save Venice is launching a new conservation campaign that includes the technical examination of two icons of the Virgin Hodegetria in the Church of San Giorgio dei Greci, together with the conservation of Emmanuel Tzanes’s Christ and the Samaritan Woman at the Well and the Greeting of the Myrrh-Bearers, as well as an icon of Saint Demetrius by an unknown Cretan painter in the Icon Museum of the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies. These exceptional paintings bear witness to a dialogue between Byzantine tradition and Venetian artistic innovation, while remaining powerful expressions of faith, devotion, and cultural memory. Some, such as the icons painted by Emmanuel Tzanes in the Icon Museum, are treasured for their artistic and historical significance; others continue to play an active role in the liturgical life of Venice’s Greek Orthodox community. Together, they embody centuries of spiritual practice and artistic achievement, making their preservation essential not only for the history of art, but for the living patrimony they continue to sustain.

Following the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, thousands of Greek merchants, sailors, soldiers—the renowned stradioti (from the Greek stratiōtēs)—and refugees sought and found a new home in Venice. Closely tied to the Republic’s maritime trade and its eastern territories, they became one of the city’s largest and most influential foreign communities. The Church of San Giorgio dei Greci served as their religious, cultural, and social center, a role it continues to fulfill today as the cathedral of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy.

San Giorgio dei Greci was designed by Zuane Zelestro in 1536 and took shape under the direction of some of the leading architects of Renaissance Venice. Between 1539 and 1547, the building campaign was overseen by Sante Lombardo, a prominent member of one of the city’s most distinguished families of sculptors and architects. Construction continued over the following decades under a succession of master builders, including Zuanantonio Chiona and, most notably, the little-known architect Giovanni Maria, whose design for the matroneo was developed with the involvement of Andrea Palladio. The church thus emerged as a remarkable synthesis of Venetian Renaissance architecture and the spiritual traditions of the Byzantine East, becoming the enduring heart of the Greek Orthodox community in Venice.

At the very center of this sacred space, within the inner face of the monumental iconostasis and beside the prothesis—the Table of Oblation where the bread and wine are prepared for the Divine Liturgy—are preserved two precious icons of the Virgin Hodegetria. More than devotional images, they have witnessed centuries of worship, standing silently beside the Eucharistic rite at the heart of Orthodox liturgical life. Their exceptional artistic quality, historical significance, and profound spiritual resonance make them among the most treasured works in the church.

Painted in the late 14th or early 15th century, this remarkable icon depicts the Virgin in her role as the Hodegetria—“She Who Shows the Way”—the timeless guide (hodegos in Greek) who directs the faithful toward Christ, the source of salvation. More specifically, it belongs to the rare Dexiokratousa variant, in which the Virgin cradles the Christ Child with her right arm rather than her left, a subtle yet significant departure from the more familiar iconographic type. Much of the painted surface is concealed beneath an elaborate silver riza (revetment), which leaves only the faces and hands visible while emphasizing the icon’s long history of veneration and devotion.

What immediately distinguishes this image, however, is the presence of three angels in the upper left corner. Instead of the customary pair of winged celestial attendants that usually accompany the Hodegetria, these figures appear without either wings or halos, an unusual choice that has given rise to multiple interpretations. Some scholars have understood them as a symbolic evocation of the Holy Trinity, while others have associated them with the three angels attending Christ’s Baptism, whose presence foreshadows the revelation of the Trinity. Whatever their precise meaning, these enigmatic figures transform the icon into one of the most original Marian images in the Byzantine tradition, inviting viewers to contemplate mysteries that extend beyond the visible scene.

Although much of the composition is concealed beneath the silver riza, the exposed faces preserve the remarkable refinement of the original painting. The Virgin’s calm, elongated face, delicately modeled with warm amber flesh tones and subtle highlights, reflects the sophisticated aesthetic cultivated in Constantinople during the Palaiologan period. In striking contrast, the three angels are rendered with brighter colors, more fluid forms, and an elegant linear rhythm that lends them an almost ethereal presence. This deliberate juxtaposition of styles makes the icon not only a masterpiece of late Byzantine painting but also an exceptionally rare interpretation of one of Christianity’s most enduring devotional images.

The icon has long been associated with Anna Notaras Palaiologina, one of the most prominent members of the Byzantine aristocracy to settle in Venice after the fall of Constantinople. Arriving in the city in 1475, Anna became a leading benefactor and advocate for the growing Greek community. She played a pivotal role in securing official recognition for the Orthodox faithful from the Venetian government, championed their interests before the Council of Ten, and made provisions in her will for the establishment of the Church of San Giorgio dei Greci.

Painted in the second half of the 17th century, this icon follows the traditional Byzantine type of the Virgin Hodegetria—from the Greek hodegos, meaning “guide,” and thus “She Who Shows the Way”—in which the Virgin presents the Christ Child as the path to salvation. Its composition also reveals the influence of the celebrated Virgin Mesopanditissa, or Our Lady the Mediator, the miraculous Byzantine icon dating from the 12th or 13th century that was brought from Candia (Heraklion) to Venice by Doge Francesco Morosini in 1669 and is now enshrined in the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute.

The icon is protected by an elaborate silver riza, or revetment, executed in the richly ornamented style of 17th-century Italian metalwork that leaves only the sacred faces visible to the faithful. Greek inscriptions identify the Virgin as the Mesopanditissa and the Child as Jesus Christ, whose halo bears the words Ὁ ὬΝ (“He Who Is”), invoking the divine name revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14. Particularly striking is the decoration of the Virgin’s crown and halo: repoussé medallions of the Evangelists Mark, Matthew, and John adorn the halo, while above the crown a miniature seascape of Venetian galleys flanks the Lion of Saint Mark. Together, these motifs celebrate the close ties between Venice’s Greek Orthodox community and the maritime power of the Serenissima.

An inscription on the bottom of the wooden frame records the donor in Greek: “Offered by the servant of God, the priest Gregorio Maras, a Cretan.” Rector of San Giorgio dei Greci in the late 1660s, Maras stipulated in his 1700 will that the icon be placed above the entrance to the Sancta Sanctorum, where it welcomed generations of worshippers entering the church’s most sacred space. Occupying this privileged position, the icon became both a focus of devotion and a lasting symbol of the faith, identity, and cultural memory of Venice’s Greek community.

The project will begin with a comprehensive program of non-invasive scientific imaging and technical examination. Using X-radiography, infrared reflectography, ultraviolet imaging, and high-resolution photography, specialists will investigate how the icons were made, assess their state of preservation, and identify later interventions. These studies will provide new insight into the icons’ history, materials, and artistic techniques while establishing a solid foundation for future conservation.

Constantinople Painter (14th-15th century)
Virgin Hodegetria (Dexiokratousa)
late 14th-early 15th century, tempera on panel, silver
85 x 56 cm

Cretan Painter (17th century)
Virgin Hodegetria
late 17th century, tempera on panel, gilded leather, silver, precious stones
65 x 54 cm

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