Iconography in Art and Architecture ............. Illustrated Dictionaries - Table of Contents
Mary, the Mother of
Jesus - Iconography
in Art and Architecture
Iconography: Study of the symbolic,
often religious, meaning of objects, persons, or events depicted in
works of art
Research
contributions by Gregory L. Witul
Image | History | Examples |
Annunciation | In Christianity, the revelation
to Mary, the mother of Jesus by the angel Gabriel that she would
conceive a child to be born the Son of God. Luke 1: 26-38: 26And in the sixth month the
angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. .... Luke 1:42-48 (King James Version) 42And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. 46And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. The "Hail, Mary" prayer is fashioned from the Biblical texts above. Hail Mary, full of grace. Our Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. The "Hail, Mary" prayer in Latin: Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen. Depictions: Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary. Often includes the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. |
Stained glass: Grace Episcopal Church, Lockport Westminster Presbyterian Church St. Joseph RC Cathedral St. Joseph RC Cathedral St. John the Evangelist RC Church Our Lady of Victory RC Basilica Holy Angels RC Church Annunciation RC Church Assumption RC Church Santa Maria De Ricci Church, Florence, ITALY Icons: Hellenic Orthodox Church of the Annunciation Paintings: Catalonian National Art Museum, Barcelona, Spain Chest Catalonian National Art Museum, Barcelona, Spain By Francisco de Solis Pitti Palace, Florence, Italy By Leonardo da Vinci Sgraffito: Assumption RC Church |
Assumption | Assumption of Mary into Heaven There is no biblical support or scriptural basis for the Assumption of Mary doctrine. In fact, the Bible does not even record Mary's death. Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption as doctrine in 1950 in his Munificentissimus Deus. This dogma states that the "Immaculate Virgin, after the completion of her earthly life was assumed body and soul into the glory of Heaven." The doctrine further states that Mary was glorified in heaven and is "exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things." See Dormition below. |
Painting: Blessed Trinity RC Church Stained glass: Our Lady of Victory RC Basilica Holy Angels RC Church Assumption RC Church Sgraffito: Assumption RC Church |
Birth of Mary | Not recorded in the Bible | Stained glass: St. Joseph RC Cathedral |
Coronation / Queen of Heaven: | There is nothing in the Bibe about Mary being crowned upon her arrival in Heaven, yet this has been a popular theme in the art for more than eight centuries. Mary crowned with stars and standing on a crescent moon Possible origin: Revelation 12:1 A woman clothed with the sun, having the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. See The Virgin Mary as the Woman of the Apocalypse by Peter Paul Rubens "Book of the Revelation of John", usually referred to simply as "Revelation," is the last book of the New Testament. It is also called the "Apocalypse of John." See What is the meaning of the crescent moon that Mary is sometimes pictured standing upon? |
Sculpture: Blessed Trinity RC Church Painting: Holy Angels RC Church Annunciation RC Church Stained glass: Holy Angels RC Church St. Joseph RC Cathedral Annunciation RC Church St. Joseph RC Cathedral Holy Angels RC Church Hellenic Orthodox Church of the Annunciation Cologne Cathedral, Germany |
Death/ Dormition | The Bible does not record Mary's
death. Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God: The Dormition of the Theotokos is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches which commemorates the "falling asleep" or death of the Theotokos (Mary, the mother of Jesus; literally translated as God-bearer), and her bodily resurrection before being taken up into heaven. See Assumption above. |
Stained glass: St. Joseph RC Cathedral Our Lady of VictoryRC Basilica Mural: Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Goritsy, Russia |
Deesis |
"In Byzantine art, and later
Eastern Orthodox art generally, the Deësis or Deisis, is a traditional
iconic representation of Christ in Majesty or Christ Pantocrator:
enthroned, carrying a book, and flanked by the Virgin Mary and St. John
the Baptist, and sometimes other saints and angels. "Mary and John, and any other figures, are shown facing towards Christ with their hands raised in supplication on behalf of humanity. "The presence of Mary and John, and other figures, is one of the differences with the Western Christ in Majesty, where the Four Evangelists and/or their symbols are more commonly included around Christ. The Deesis composition is also commonly found in the West, especially those parts of Italy under Byzantine influence, but also the rest of Europe." - Wikipedia: Deesis (online Dec. 2014) |
Mosaics: Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey |
Immaculate
Conception |
Mary
Immaculata: Mary without any stain (macula in Latin). Roman Catholic belief that states that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was conceived and born without bearing the original sin of human beings. In art, the Immaculate Conception is depicted as Mary with a crown of stars, standing on a crescent moon above a snake. The
Sun, Moon and Stars:
This depiction of the Immaculate Conception refers to the Book of
Revelations 12:1 "A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with
the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on
her head... She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to
give birth."
The
Snake:
Pope Pius IX, officially defining the Immaculate Conception as dogma
for the Roman Catholic Church, primarily appealed to the text of Genesis
3:15
where the serpent was told by God, "I will put enmity between you and
the woman, between your seed and her seed." In Catholic
understanding, this was a prophecy that foretold of a "woman" who would
always be at enmity with the serpent - that is, a woman who would never
be under the power of sin, nor in bondage to the serpent.
Furthermore, in art, Mary has her foot on the head of the reptile. This also refers to the Genesis creation story (Genesis 3:14-15) and the serpent's punishment: "So the Lord God said to the
serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all
cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall
go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put
enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her
seed; He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel."
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Mural: Buffalo Religious Arts Center Paintings: Catalonian National Art Museum, Barcelona, Spain Zurbaran painting Stained glass: Cologne Cathedral, Germany |
Immaculate Heart of Mary Sacred Heart of Mary | "Physical heart of Blessed Virgin
Mary as a symbol of Mary's interior life" - Wikipedia:
Immaculate Heart of Mary Depictions: Heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords |
Sculpture: Felician Sisters Immaculate Heart of Mary Convent Chapel |
Jesus, Holding | See
Mother of God below |
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John the Apostle, Protected by | Stained glass: Our Lady of Victory RC Basilica |
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Lourdes, Our Lady of | "Beginning
on 11 February 1858, a 14-year old peasant girl called Bernadette
Soubirous claimed to have experienced a series of apparitions of a girl
dressed in white and with a blue belt around her waist, who eventually
introduced herself as the Immaculate Conception, a name by which the
Virgin Mary was known. The figure always appeared in one place, a niche
above the main cavity of the grotto, in which a wild rose bush was
growing. Among the instructions from 'the Virgin' were "Go and drink
from the spring", "Go and tell the priests to build a chapel here", and
"Have the people come here in procession." - Wikipedia
(July 2011) |
Stained glass: Felician Sisters Convent Chapel |
Madonna / Madonna and
Child |
See "Mother of God" below | |
Mandorla |
||
Marriage of Mary and Joseph | Mary and Joseph were betrothed when Mary became pregnant. See Matthew 1:18-25 | Stained glass: Our Lady of Victory Basilica Corpus Christi RC Church Milan Cathedral Museum |
"Mother
of God" / Madonna and Child |
A Madonna is a representation of
Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central
icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word is from
Italian ma donna, meaning "my lady". One of the most common subject matters in art, especially in icons, is Mary holding Jesus in her arms. In Orthodox theology, the Virgin Mary is the Theotokos ("God-bearer") - the fulfillment of the Old Testament archetype revealed in the Ark of the Covenant, because she carried the New Covenant in the person of Christ; thus, the Orthodox consider her the Ark of the New Covenant, and give her the respect and reverence as such. |
Icons: Hellenic Orthodox Church of the Annunciation St. Casimer's RC Church Mural: Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Goritsy, Russia Sculpture: Catalonian National Art Museum, Barcelona, Spain Romanesque Catalonian National Art Museum, Barcelona, Spain Renaissance Bargello, Florence, Italy Painting: Catalonian National Art Museum, Barcelona, Spain By Vincenzo Frediani Mosaic: Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey Palermo Cathedral, Sicily |
North America, Patron Saint of | See Immaculate Conception above |
Painting: Buffalo Religious Arts Center Xavier Hall Gallery |
Nursing Madonna/Madonna Lactans | Painting: Siena Cathedral, Italy |
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Our Lady of Perpetual Help | Our Lady of Perpetual Help (or of Succour) or Our Mother of Perpetual Help is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, associated with a Byzantine icon of the same name, said to be 13th or 14th century, but perhaps 15th century. - Wikipedia | |
Our Lady of Mount Carmel | See St. Simon Stock and Brown Scapular | |
Our Lady of Victory |
On
October 7, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the yearly feast of Our
Lady of the Rosary. Known for several centuries by the alternate
title of “Our Lady of Victory,” the feast day takes place in honor of a
16th century naval victory which secured Europe against Turkish
invasion. Pope St. Pius V attributed the victory to the intercession of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was invoked on the day of the battle
through a campaign to pray the Rosary throughout Europe. |
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Portrait | Usually portrayed as an attractive young woman | Stained glass: Saints Peter and Paul RC Church St. Joseph RC Cathedral |
Presentation of Mary in the Temple | Presentation of Mary in the Temple (November 21 Feast day): The Scriptures tells us nothing of Mary's hidden life. That which is known about the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple is found in the Apocrypha, principally in chapter seven of the Protoevangelium of James, which has been dated by historians prior to the year 200 AD. | Stained glass: Felician Sisters Convent Chapel Our Lady of Victory RC Basilica Painting: Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy |
Queen of Heaven | Stained glass: Annunciation RC Church St. Margaret's RC Church Sculpture: Blessed Trinity RC Church Cologne Cathedral, Germany Mosaic: Church on Spilled Blood, St. Petersburg, Russia Mural: St. Casimir's RC Church |
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Queen of Peace | Hold the child Jesus in her arms | Sculpture: Buffalo Religious Art Center Stained glass: Grace Episcopal Church, Lockport |
Seven Joys | Seven Joys The Annunciation The Nativity of Jesus The Adoration of the Magi The Resurrection of Christ The Ascension of Christ to Heaven The Pentecost The Coronation of the Virgin in Heaven Alternative choices might include the Visitation, the Finding in the Temple, or the Assumption of Mary |
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Seven Sorrows |
Our Lady of
Sorrows
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Sculpture: Buffalo Religious Art Center Painting: Basilica of the Most Holy Annunciation/Ss. Annunziata di Firenze, Florence,Italy (2020 photo) |
Visitation | Mary Visits Elizabeth: Luke 1:39-56 | Painting: Annunciation RC Church Stained glass: Our Lady of Victory RC Basilica Holy Angels RC Church Sculpture: Florence Baptistery, Italy |