Restored in 1969 with funding from Save Venice founders Betty and John McAndrew through the Venice Committee of the International Fund for Monuments, in honor of Nicky Mariano.

The Madonna Nicopeia was originally located in the monastery of Saint John the Theologian in Constantinople, the capital of Byzantium, and was one of the city’s most precious icons. The work depicts the Virgin Mary in her role as the “Hodegetria,” or “she who shows the way,” for she holds her infant son and points to him with one hand, indicating Jesus’ future role as the savior of mankind.  The image was considered to be capable of bestowing miraculous protection upon those who venerated it, and was thus frequently carried into battle by various Byzantine emperors. Moreover, according to legend, the icon had been painted by Saint Luke himself. Although it dates to the early twelfth century, this illustrious association would have nonetheless only heightened the importance of the work.

The panel was brought to Venice by Doge Enrico Dandolo (reigned 1192–1205) among the many spoils of the Fourth Crusade of 1204, when the Christian armies sacked Constantinople on their way to Jerusalem. In addition to its primary role as the ducal chapel of Venice, the Basilica of San Marco was also used as the treasury for the Venetian Republic’s most precious objects. Byzantine treasures and spoils of war were displayed among mosaics, paintings, and sculptures, created by artists from Venice and other parts of Italy and beyond. Both the interior and exterior of the basilica are embellished with various styles, allowing the church to function as a perfect architectural representation of Venice as the cultural and political center that served as a crossroads between the East and the West.

The Venetians venerated the Madonna Nicopeia as the protectress of their city, looking to her for protection against the plague and to provide victory in times of war. The icon was kept in near-secret for centuries; it was only placed on public view when Doge Giovanni Bembo had it installed in a chapel next to the high altar of the Basilica in 1617.

The work was restored by conservator Antonio Lazzarin, with the guidance of project director Francesco Valcanover of the Superintendency of Fine Arts of Venice.

For select projects, conservation dossiers in Italian containing limited textual and photographic documentation may be available for consultation by appointment at the Venice office of Save Venice and the Rosand Library & Study Center. For inquiries, please contact us at venice@savevenice.org.

Byzantine school
Madonna Nicopeia
Early twelfth century, tempera on wood panel
58 x 55 cm

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