Madonna di Sant'Alessio ''(Madonna of St. Alexis; Madonna of Intercession)'' is an

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...

, probably of

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

origin, of the

Blessed Virgin Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

now in the Basilica of the Saints Bonifacio and Alexis on the

Aventine Hill The Aventine Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills on which ancient Rome was built. It belongs to Ripa, the modern twelfth ''rione'', or ward, of Rome. Location and boundaries The Aventine Hill is the southernmost of Rome's seven hills. I ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Italy. It is one of the most venerated

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

icons (dated at the 12-13th centuries), attracting many

pilgrim The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...

s of different

religious denomination A religious denomination is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name and tradition, among other activities. The term refers to the various Christian denominations (for example, Oriental Orthodox Churches, non-Chalcedonian, E ...

s from all over the world as it is considered to be miraculous, according to tradition. Like some other old icons it was believed to have been painted by

St Luke Luke the Evangelist was one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of the canonical gospels. The Early Church Fathers ascribed to him authorship of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Prominent figu ...

the Evangelist from its living subjects.

Art history

The ''Madonna di Sant’Alessio'' is a fine and early example of the

iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...

of the '' Haghiosoritissa'' type (Paraklesis). The Icon of the "''Madonna di Sant’Alessio"'' is thought to have been painted in

Byzantium Byzantium () or Byzantion () was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' continued to be used as a n ...

. It was painted with

tempera Tempera (), also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. ''Tempera'' also refers to the paintings done in ...

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable Plain weave, plain-woven Cloth, fabric used for making sails, tents, Tent#Marquees and larger tents, marquees, backpacks, Shelter (building), shelters, as a Support (art), support for oil painting and for other ite ...

. The cloth was pasted on a wooden board (probably of

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae * Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona ...

) measuring 70 x 40 cm. Art and church historians disagree about when the icon was created. According to older church traditions, the icon dates to the

Early Christian Early Christianity, otherwise called the Early Church or Paleo-Christianity, describes the historical era of the Christian religion up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Christianity spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and be ...

period. However, today most art historians believe the date of the ''Madonna of St. Alexis'' is either the 12th and the 13th century. In

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

this icon is known as ''''«Madonna di Edessa» ("Edessa Icon of Madonna"), «Madonna Avvocata» («Protectress»)'''' and ''''«Madonna dell'Intercessione» («Our Lady of

Intercession Intercession or intercessory prayer is the act of prayer, praying on behalf of others, or Intercession of saints, asking a saint in heaven to pray on behalf of oneself or for others. The Apostle Paul's exhortation to Saint Timothy, Timothy speci ...

" )'' since it matches the poses of the Virgin in the common image of the

Deesis In Byzantine art, and in later Eastern Orthodox iconography generally, the Deësis or Deisis (, ; , "prayer" or "supplication") is a traditional iconic representation of Christ in Majesty or Christ Pantocrator: enthroned, carrying a book, and ...

, a

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

word that means "''supplication''"). In the Deesis the

mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French , from Medieval Latin , "price paid, wages", from Latin , "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social, and legal contexts. In the social and le ...

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

as judge is invoked by figures of the Virgin and Saint

John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( – ) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Gospel of John. Christians have traditionally identified him with John the Apostle, John of Patmos, and John the Presbyter, although there is no consensus on how ...

flanking Christ. More specifically: the icon of the ''Madonna of St. Alexis'' refers to the theme of the

prayer File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

in a way that is different from the scenes in which the

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...

is represented. It has a connection with a certain type of Marian imagery that can be found both in

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

and in Rome. The ''Madonna'' on the icon is represented without ''the Child'', turning to a side, with the upper body slightly inclined as though carrying a weight, with one hand extended forward and the other raised to indicate that she intercedes for those who have no other hope but in Her alone. The ''Madonna of St. Alexis'' reveals faithful adherence to the

pattern. One element is the dimness and softness of the colors, while some other details (asymmetric shape of the lengthened face, eyes with intense look, wide and thin mouth) reveal the search of a dramatic effect on the part of the artist. The Icon must have undergone some renovations over the centuries. Probably there was some retouching on the occasion of its

Canonical coronation A canonical coronation () is a pious institutional act of the pope, duly expressed in a formal decree of a papal bull, in which the pope bestows the pontifical right to impose an ornamental crown, a diadem or an aureola, aureole to an image of ...

that took place in 1645 by Pontifical decree granted from

Pope Innocent X Pope Innocent X (6 May 1574 – 7 January 1655), born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj (or Pamphili), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 September 1644 to his death, in January 1655. Born in Rome of a family fro ...

List of canonically crowned images The following list enumerates a selection of Marian, Josephian, and Christological images venerated in the Roman Catholic Church, authorised by a Pope who has officially granted a papal bull of Pontifical coronation to be carried out either ...

In 1952 the icon underwent restoration and cleaning on the Somascan Fathers' initiative. In 2014-2015 the High Institute for Conservation and Restoration (ISCR) in

carried out another restoration of the ''"Madonna of St. Alexius"'' after which it was returned to Basilica of St. Alexius.A Roma l’Iscr scopre il volto originale della Madonna di Sant’Alessio
/ref>
/ref>

Legend

According to the legend, the icon was brought to Rome by the

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ar ...

Sergius Damascus in 977, after it had been kept in

Edessa Edessa (; ) was an ancient city (''polis'') in Upper Mesopotamia, in what is now Urfa or Şanlıurfa, Turkey. It was founded during the Hellenistic period by Macedonian general and self proclaimed king Seleucus I Nicator (), founder of the Sel ...

church of the Blessed Virgin for a long time. There had been many miracles from the icon so that it was known as a miraculous image. The history of the icon is closely related to the legend about St. Alexius, the only son of Euphemianus, a wealthy Christian Roman of the senatorial class. Alexius fled his arranged marriage to follow his holy vocation. Disguised as a beggar, he lived on the porch of the church in

(

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

) for seventeen years."Saint Alexius of Rome", Magnificat
/ref> Eating only bread and drinking only water he prayed day and night near the icon of the Blessed Virgin, accepting alms, even from his own household slaves, who had been sent to look for him but did not recognize him, until a miraculous voice of the Blessed Virgin Mary from the Icon singled him out as a ''"

Man of God A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the father ...

".''VITALE BOVARONE, vol II, 2006; 510-514. Dalla Legenda aurea di Iacopo da Varazze, LEGGENDA LATINA DI SANT’ALESSIO, cap. XCIV
Fleeing the resultant notoriety, he returned to Rome, so changed that his parents did not recognize him, but as good

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

took him in and sheltered him for seventeen years, which he spent in a dark cubbyhole beneath the stairs, praying and teaching catechism to children. After his death, his family found writings on his body which told them who he was and how he had lived his life of penance from the day of his wedding, for the love of God. So the icon from an Edessa church where Alexis had prayed daily for seventeen years, was called the "''Madonna of St. Alexis''". When the icon was brought to Rome, it was placed in the church dedicated to St. Alexius (Basilica of the Saints Bonifacio and Alexis) where his holy

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s could be found. According to another legendary version, the icon is thought to have been brought from the East by St. Alexius himself. The ''"Madonna di Sant’Alessio"'' is a wonderful object of interest and devotion to be seen in the ''Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament'' on the right side of the south

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

of the basilica. The

Chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

was built by

Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

''Angelo Porro'' in 1674, restructured in 1750-1755, modified in 1814 by ''

Charles IV of Spain Charles IV (; 11 November 1748 – 20 January 1819) was King of Spain and ruler of the Spanish Empire from 1788 to 1808. The Spain inherited by Charles IV gave few indications of instability, but during his reign, Spain entered a series of disa ...

'' (during his

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

in the monastery of St. Alexis). It was restored by ''Antonio Munoz'' in 1935. The icon can be found above the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

of this Chapel. In Rome there is one other icon of this type – the ''Madonna of

Santa Maria in Ara Coeli The Basilica of Saint Mary of the Altar in Heaven (, ) is a titular basilica and conventual church of the Franciscan Convent of Aracoeli located the highest summit of the Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy. From 1250–1798 it was the headquarters o ...

'' in the basilica beside the "

Campidoglio The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill ( ; ; ), between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. The hill was earlier known as ''Mons Saturnius'', dedicated to the god Saturn. The word ''Capitolium'' first referre ...

References

Bibliography

* Holweck, F. G., "A Biographical Dictionary of the Saints", St. Louis, Missouri: B. Herder Book Co., 1924. {{Authority control Paintings of the Virgin Mary Eastern Orthodox icons of the Virgin Mary Byzantine icons 12th-century paintings