Looking at the Icon

Ko Hāta Maria, te Matua Wahine o te Atua - Holy Mary, Mother of God – An Introduction to the Artwork

This week we went to church to see the Mary Icon. The painting has Mary, the mother of Jesus, Jesus, Four buildings and Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Mary was wearing a beautiful cloak of ocean blue feathers, What a coincidence because that represents the oceans. At the bottom of Mary's cloak was a red, black and white poutamu, that represents the staircase to heaven. In Mary's hand was a fern with twelve fronds, these fronds represent the twelve apostles. Jesus was wearing a rare kiwi cloak of kiwi feathers, called kahu kiwi. Also in the painting was a winged matua, winged ox, a winged lion and a winged eagle, These are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, just a few of Jesus' apostles.