In the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a photo of a breastfeeding woman on the platform of the Kiev metro spread around social networks and the media. The photo became not just viral - a picture was painted based on it, and then an icon, which is located in one of the temples of Naples.

A woman with a baby in the subway is Tatyana Bliznyak from Kiev with her daughter Marichka, who at the time of the photo was just two months old. On February 25, Tatyana, her husband Mikhail, her daughter, and Phoebe the pug went down to the subway when an air raid began in Kyiv.

Photo of Tatiana, who feeds the baby, leaning against the cold marble wall of the subway, was made by the Hungarian journalist of the Teleks edition Andras Feldesh. He posted it on his Instagram. The picture instantly went viral..

Photo of woman with baby hiding from bombs inspired artists.

Illustrator Marina Solomennikova from Dnipro saw a photo of Tatyana from Kyiv while scrolling through the news feed.

“All the puzzles of what I saw and read immediately formed in my head - this woman with a child was a symbol of all Ukrainian mothers who must hide from Russian weapons in bomb shelters,” says Marina.

She portrayed Tatyana against the background of the Kiev metro trains and with a golden halo over her head..

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After that, Marina's illustration was published on his page by the consultant of the Vatican Secretariat for public relations, James Martin.

The image of a woman with a halo was called the Kiev Madonna, and Marina Solomennikova modestly says that she simply drew a good illustration.

Recently, the Kyiv Madonna became an icon in the temple of Italian Naples, her image is in the chapel at the school of the Franciscan sisters.

A photo of the icon on his Facebook was published by the Ukrainian Jesuit priest Vyacheslav Okun, who is now studying in Rome.

It was Vyacheslav Okun who initiated the creation of such an icon and received permission from Marina Solomennikova to use her illustration.

According to Vyacheslav, it is important for Ukrainians who are now in Italy or in other European countries because they were forced to leave their homes because of the war, it is important to have something iconic and familiar from Ukraine.

Kyiv Madonna has become just such an image.

The prototype of the Kiev Madonna Tatiana Bliznyak with her daughter, who is almost four months old, and her family is safe in western Ukraine.