Blaj and Mary Hodegetria

Blaj, located in central Romania, is a city of Roman origin and the historic capital of Transylvania, the principal religious and cultural center of the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church in that region. Its cathedral, built in 1749, contains a Madonna and Child Hodegetria icon (1), one of the most widespread and popular types of Marian icons, depicting the Theotokos (Mother of God) holding the Child Jesus at her side while pointing to Him as the source of salvation for mankind, "the Way, the Truth and the Life."

According to tradition, this icon was painted by the evangelist Saint Luke himself. On March 17, 1764, it is reported that the icon, hung in the iconostasis (2), wept at the funeral of Saint Peter-Paul Aron, a bishop devoted to the Virgin Mary and a staunch defender of unity with Rome.

After this miracle, the cathedral became a Marian shrine attracting numerous pilgrims to the veneration of the miraculous Madonna and Child Hodegetria icon. Since April 1991, the shrine has been entrusted to the Greek Catholic community (Eastern rite).

(1) From the ancient Greek οδηγεώ / odigeô: lead, guide: "She who shows the Way."

(2) In Orthodox churches, a partition decorated with icons, which separates the nave from the sanctuary.