{"id":537258,"date":"2025-08-12T16:38:21","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T13:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/?p=537258"},"modified":"2025-08-12T16:43:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T13:43:07","slug":"virgin-mary-orans-mosaic-romania-national-cathedral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/virgin-mary-orans-mosaic-romania-national-cathedral\/","title":{"rendered":"Mosaic of Virgin Mary Orans installed in Romania\u2019s National Cathedral ahead of Dormition Feast"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ahead of the great feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, the mosaic depicting the Virgin Mary Orans has been installed in the narthex of Romania\u2019s National Cathedral. In this image, the Most Holy Theotokos is shown with her hands raised and palms open, with the Child Jesus depicted on her chest \u2014 a symbol of the Incarnation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis image is very ancient, with origins in early Christian art and is often found in Byzantine mosaics and frescoes. It portrays the Mother of God as the Intercessor \u2014 the icon is an image of the praying Church and of the Mother of God\u2019s intercession for the world,\u201d explained Daniel Codrescu, the coordinator of the mosaic artwork at the National Cathedral, in a Facebook post.<\/p>\n

A famous example is the \u201cVirgin Mary Orans<\/a>\u201d in the altar apse of Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv (11th century), also known as the \u201cUnbreakable Wall,\u201d because it symbolises the protection and defence of the city and the faithful, the church painter further noted.<\/p>\n