person
the Mother of God
Mother of God
also: Богородица, Theotokos
The Virgin Mary as venerated in Orthodox iconography; the icon at Fedya's church shows her in profile beside the great crucifix and John the Theologian, gazing in silence on the Crucifixion -- an image Fedya reads, in the church's Holy Week gloom, as isolated and unreachable.
Reading notes
- The Darling §43 Queen of Heaven
An Orthodox epithet for the Virgin Mary, invoked here by Olenka as a pious exclamation of gratitude toward Smirnin.
- At Christmastime §47 Queen of Heaven
A traditional Orthodox epithet for the Virgin Mary, invoked here by Yefimya as she reads her parents' letter and is overcome with homesickness.