" I wonder, the vision in Revelation of the flight of the woman into the desert,
could it be a remembrance of the flight of the Jerusalem Christians prior to the fall of Jerusalem?  Jesus said, "Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. . .How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!" 

Fine exgesis work Fr. Charles! This makes a lot of sense to me. Iconographically the woman would probably still be dipicted as our Lady since she was from the earliest days a type of the Church. I would have to say I'm not sure what I'd do with an icon dipicting the red dragon preparing to devour the child. I recall such an icon that we discussing in Icon Theology (taught by Geoffrey Wainwright at Duke) that was in a Roman Church in France. I'm almost sure they had it behind the altar. Can you imagine! I don't think I'd use it at all. Maybe in the nursery to scare the kids into good behavior.
gms+