Galaktotrophousa

Russian icon "Galaktotrophousa" Mlekokapitelniza / "" before the ^eighteenth century

An icon Galaktotrophoussa milk in Greek, and feeding, nursing) also called Latin, Russian represents the Virgin Mary breastfeeding.

The oldest image of the Virgin suckling her baby, Jesus, the Virgin Mary suckling Jesus and the Prophet Balaam, a mural of St. Priscilla Catacomb , Rome, ^second century century. This iconographic type galaktotrophousa existed since the Byzantine era, the ^eighth century quite rare in Russia but very popular among Eastern Christians, and in art Coptic , because according to the Gospels and the Book of the Apocalypse of St. John Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt to escape the soldiers of Herod , in the desert, where the Infant Jesus was breastfed, "And the woman fled into the wilderness where she hath a place prepared by God, intent that it was nourished for one thousand two hundred sixty days. "

Mlekopitatelniza

Such is the Byzantine Lactans Virgo, the Virgin suckling reproduced paintings, illuminations, statuary. We find a representation in the ancient Monastery of Saint Catherine in Sinai. She is revered in Egypt : its representation is the oldest of Saqqara , Monastery of St. Jeremiah , cell 1725 , in Ethiopia , to Cyprus where there is a Monastery of the Virgin Galaktotrophousa, etc. ...

References evangelical

"It happened, as Jesus spoke, a woman raised her voice from the crowd and said:" Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that you sucked! "- But he said:" Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it! "(Gospel of Luke 11, 27-28)

Significance

You may make a comparison between the milk of life out of the chest and heart of Mary and Jesus' words in the story of his Passion: "I thirst," then the blood gushing from the wound Next to Jesus Christ, donnnant life to the Church and all humanity thirsting for salvation and mercy. The Byzantine texts are numerous allusions to this theme in the sermons and hymns.

Legend

• According to tradition, Mary and her son took refuge in a cave, called the Milk Grotto , located very near where now is built the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
• The milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is the symbol of the lactation of the Virgin according to legend the Virgin Mary, hid under the leaves of a large thistle, the Child Jesus to the soldiers of Herod and a few drops of milk fell on leaves, which held a white label on the ribs. This plant would promote lactation.

Other themes

The Catholics were also represented from the Middle Ages the lactating Virgin (Virgo Lactans).

You can find more rarely different representations of the Virgin Mary suckling like Joseph preparing porridge for the child that Mary is breastfeeding ( XV ^century ) or Mary giving porridge to the Child Jesus She is venerated in Spain under the name of Nuestra Seora La Virgen de la Leche and Leche .

In 1998 , one found in France would call a Madonna Madonna Laroque name of the village where we discovered it.

Catacombs of Rome.	Master of the Magdalen, 1270 from San Leonardo Acetre Yale Museum	Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille	Virgin suckler St Martin Metz
Fresco Basilica of Maria Lactans Saints Peter and Paul Agliata (Italy)	Between 1450 (1450) and 1499 - Brooklyn Museum	Van der Weyden , Diptych of Jean de Gros	Galaktotrophousa (1778).

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References

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