Though not universally accepted as a feast on the Orthodox Church calendar, the Visitation event is important because it continues the powerful yielding “yes” of the Annunciation. In fact, both icons feature a bright red veil, which in iconography signals that, underneath it, a holy, mystical action is taking place.
Shortly after her encounter with the Archangel Gabriel, Mary visits her elderly cousin Elizabeth, who is also miraculously expecting a child (John the Baptist). At this meeting, scripture says, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaps for joy, and Mary sings a song of praise (known widely as her “Magnificat”). This event is Mary’s personal Annunciation of her condition, the action declaring to the world her acceptance of the angel’s words, making the incarnation all the more real because it is shared with her cousin.
The two mothers in the image are static and still, but the babies appear to be talking, and indeed the scene around them is filled with bright buildings, flowing waters, a spiraling tree, and even a family of swimming ducks. It is as if Mary’s “yes” unleashes the world’s fecundity.
The icon embodies a spiritual paradox: silence can be action; obedient acquiescence can be a proclamation. The buildings behind the two women are especially telling. They are an iconological symbol of the New Jerusalem, heaven, which to the Orthodox is not only a place or a future event, but also a state of being. The icon joyfully tells us that, because of Mary’s obedient action to the call of the Holy Spirit through the Archangel Gabriel—her willingness to be the God Bearer—this new state of being is now accessible in our world, to us.
“My soul magnifies the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked 0n the humble estate of his servant; behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed. For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is
his name.”
Luke 1:46-49