Few who stand before the Russian Orthodox icon of Mary and the Child Jesus which went on display today in the Memorial Hall of the Roman Catholic Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception here can avoid a momentary shudder, an involuntary gasp of horror.
Why?
Because the icon, which depicts the Virgin Mary holding her son, Jesus, has 13 bullet holes in it. (The bullets are still there, imbedded in the thick wood of the 19th-century icon. The icon is a 19th-century copy of the famous 16th-century icon of Kazan which Pope John Paul II kept for many years in his apartment in Rome, and which was finally returned to Russia on August 28, 2004.) Several of the bullet holes are in a straight line across the chest of the Virgin Mary, where a blast from a machine-gun evidently strafed the icon with a burst of gunfire.
Mary's face is untouched.
But her body, had it been a real body, would have been torn apart and killed by those bullets.
There are also bullet wounds in the image of her son, Jesus, as he sits in her arms.
Strikingly, the icon has been transported from Russia to be put on display this Advent in Washington as the centerpiece in an extraordinary, moving exhibition on the revival of faith in Russia following the Soviet time which opened this morning in the lower hall of the largest Catholic basilica in America, the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception — the chief basilica in America dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
"Before the Russian Revolution in 1917, there were more icons and churches dedicated to Mary in Russia than in any other country in the world," said Father Victor Potapov, a Russian Orthodox priest who is rector of the Russian Orthodox Church of St. John the Baptist in Washington, during a brief ceremony today at 10:30 am to open the exhibit. "Russia in those years, for that reason, was sometimes called 'The House of Mary.'" Potapov said that more Christian martyrs suffered imprisonment and death under anti-Christian regimes during the 20th century than during the entire three centuries of persecution that the early Church suffered under the Roman Empire. "More Christians died during 70 years of Communism than during 300 years under the Roman," Potapov said. "But the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the faith. And Christian faith is being renewed today in Russia." Monsignor Walter R. Rossi, the rector of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception which is hosting the remarkable exhibition, nodded his agreement.
"I am pleased to welcome everyone to the opening of the exhibit The Russian Orthodox in the 20th Century," Rossi said in his remarks. In 1920, when the cornerstone was laid for this Basilica, Bishop John McNicholas, in his remarks for the occasion, spoke of the current situation of the faith in the world, and in particular mentioned the turmoil that was occurring in Russia. It is a testament to the power of prayer and faith that we are able to stand together today in this National Shrine and celebrate our shared devotion to the Mother of God. "And today, one of the nicknames of the basilica is 'Mary's House,'" said Dr. Geraldine M. Rohling, the curator of the exhibit.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. It will run through Monday, December 17th. Formal closing ceremonies will be at 6 p.m. on the 17th, followed by a concert in the basilica. The concert will be the world premiere performance of "Christmas Oratorio," a Christmas concert which will be performed by a leading Russian orchestra and several Russian choirs which will fly from Moscow to the US for the occasion. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. and is also free and open to the public.
