Holy Mother with Child

Artist: Rada Vučinić

Donated by the Republic of Serbia and Montenegro to Gatineau. The unveiling on April 16, 2003 was attended by His Excellency Ambassador Miodrag Pericis and Mayor Yves Ducharme.

This Baroque-style Holy Mother with Child is one of the masterpieces of Serbian religious art from the treasury of the Patriarchate of Peć, which was the spiritual heart of the Serbian Nation, the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the place where the Bible was transcribed and the mainstay of Serbian literature. The original Holy Mother with Child from the Patriarchate of Peć was painted by an unknown artist. The icon was commissioned by Patriarch Arsenije IV after the Second Serbian Migration of the Serbs fleeing the approaching Turkish army sweeping across Serbia in 1793.

This painting depicts the Virgin holding the Christ Child on her knees while sitting on the prayer relic. The symbolism of this image conveys the Virgin's wish to prevent the exodus of the Serbian people, and was intended to gather the people around their faith to forgive the invaders for their sins.