The Eleousa or Tenderness icon, in which the God Bearer (Theotokos) closely holds her young son, the Christ, is among the most well-known and beloved of icon types and resides in the nave of the church. Leaving the narthex with its Old Testament icons to enter the nave, we encounter icons from the New Testament that teach and guide the faithful in understanding the new age after the incarnation of Christ. Most exemplary are icons of Mary not only because she represents the pinnacle of wisdom, but also because there is a tradition among the holy fathers that the soul is feminine. Christ says in the scriptures that “the Kingdom of God is within” (Luke 17:21) and “unless you are born from above, you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (John 3:3). Just so, the Theotokos serves, for the Orthodox faithful, as the primary symbol of being born from above: through her we discover the Logos Spermatikos that is within each person, for it is through Mary, the God Bearer, that Christ Emmanuel, God-With-Us, enters the world. Icons of the Theotokos therefore represent what is possible for each person’s spiritual development and provide a pattern for the relationship between body and soul.

There are multiple variants of the Tenderness icon, some with the Virgin nursing, some with the child playfully squirming, and here with the child’s cheek on his mother’s. All depict a tender joy and care. This icon gives particular attention to the bodily or material dimension of existence. Here we glimpse the most profound, intimate human relationship: that of a mother and child. The Tenderness icon thus represents the Orthodox conviction that materiality matters. 

Christians believe that the task of each person is to offer creation back to God. The Tenderness icon suggests the joy with which that offering can happen. Contemplating the closeness between the God Bearer and the God Child, we can see how fully each possesses the other’s affection. Imagine if we all felt that closeness with God! In this material world, awareness of our own soul is suppressed or overpowered, and most of us are far from even imagining closeness with God. Contemplating the unselfconscious, physical delight between Christ and his mother can be a first step toward noticing our own soul. 

The Theotokos is always depicted with three eight-pointed stars on her garment, although sometimes, as in this icon, one is obscured. These stars represent the perfection or virginity of the Theotokos on the three planes of existence: body, soul, and spirit.

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