08 — Iconography and Veneration
The visual cult and its place in Orthodox piety. These files treat the distinctive iconography of St. Marina — the virgin who subdues, holds, or strikes the demon, often with a hammer or mallet, the most martial and most immediately recognizable image of any female saint in the Orthodox tradition — and the place of Marina in the living devotion of the Orthodox faithful: her icon on the iconostasis, her intercession invoked, her feast kept, her name borne.
Tradition: Pan-Orthodox (Great Martyr; virgin-martyr)
Marina’s iconography is one of the most arresting in the whole calendar. Where the other virgin-martyrs are shown with the instruments of their passion — Catherine with her wheel, Barbara with her tower — Marina is shown in the act of victory: gripping the small black demon she has subdued and raising a hammer to strike it. The image, rooted in the prison-episode of the bound demon, is the visual signature of her cult, and it carries a theology of the soul’s authority over the powers of darkness. These files treat that iconography and the broader life of Marina in Orthodox devotion.
Files in This Section
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| The Virgin Hammering the Demon | The distinctive iconography: Marina striking, holding, or treading the demon, often with a hammer or mallet; its root in the prison-episode, its theology of victory over the powers of darkness, and its place among the images of the virgin-martyrs. |
| Marina in Orthodox Piety | The place of Marina in the living devotion of the Orthodox faithful: her icon, her intercession, the patronage and protection sought from her, and her standing as one of the great and beloved Great Martyrs of the Eastern Church. |
See Also
- Hammering the Demon — the prison-episode that grounds the iconography
- Icons and Iconoclasm — the theology of the holy image
- The Cult, East and West — the cult in which the iconography and devotion are set
- Feast and Customs — the feast on which the icon is honored
References
- Bibliotheca Sanctorum, vol. 8, “Marina.” Rome, 1966.
- Greek Passio of St. Marina, BHG 1165–1167. Brussels: Société des Bollandistes, 1957.