Mary symbol

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José de Ribera : Inmaculada Concepción , 1635, 502 cm × 329 cm (Convento de las Agustinas de Salamanca). Here Mary is surrounded by various symbols, such as the sea star, moon, roses and lilies, mirrors, temples, gateways, olive branches, towers and fountains.

As symbols of Mary or Marian symbols are called symbols that link to be Mary, the mother of Jesus , relate. The symbols of Mary include plants, animals, stars and objects that are borrowed from the Old and New Testaments , the Apocrypha , the writings of the Church Fathers , the Lauretan Litany as well as the spiritual poetry or the visions of the mystics and which are related to the Virgin Mary, z. B. a tree or a well. If an event such as the scene with Moses in front of the burning bush is equated with Mary, we speak of an allegory . Some symbols of Mary can also be interpreted archetypically . Mostly symbols of Mary are combined with allegorical representations of Mary, so that a conceptual differentiation makes little sense in practice.

Aaron's flowering staff , Gideon's fleece , the porta clausa (the locked gate) of the prophet Ezekiel , animals such as the unicorn , the phoenix or the pelican and plants such as the Madonna lily , the common columbine , the thornless rose , wild strawberry , cowslip and lily of the valley can all be Marian Be symbols.

Porta clausa , Turris Davidica
Ianua caeli

Symbols according to areas of origin

The symbols in the biblical writings are not related to Mary in the original context, but were applied to Mary by later Christian theology and spirituality and used, for example, in the liturgy of the feasts of Mary. One speaks of an "accommodation", a dogmatically correct and liturgically usable application of a scriptural word to a holy person or thing, which, however, finds no support in the text itself.

Source: Old Testament

Source: Wisdom Literature : Song of Songs , Book of Wisdom , Jesus Sirach (Old Testament)

The following symbols are stated in the biblical text of wisdom (Greek σοφία, Latin sapientia ) and were applied to Mary in church tradition.

Source: Revelation of John (New Testament)

  • Mulier amicta sole ( Rev 12,1 ) (woman clothed with the sun) - Mulier amicta sole et luna sub pedibus eius et in capite eius corona stellarum duodecim ( Rev 12,1 ) (woman clothed in the sun, the moon was among her Feet and a wreath of twelve stars on her head) ( Rev 12,1  EU )
  • Mulier draconis victrix ( Rev 12 ) (Woman victorious over the dragon) ( Rev 12  EU )
  • Arca testamenti ( Rev 11:19 ) (Ark of the covenant) ( Rev 11:19  EU )
Mother of God surrounded by Marian symbols from the Litany of Laurentia, Bayeux Cathedral

Source: Lauretan Litany

Source: Various Areas

heraldry

In heraldry , the pain of Mary is represented by a heart with seven piercing swords . The representation belonging to the heraldic figures occurs in church and monastery heraldry, but is not common.

literature

  • Alfred Sirch: Pictorial symbols in the Marienkirche on the Schönenberg . Schwabenverlag AG, Ellwangen 1997.
  • Church administration Wemding (Ed.): Pilgrimage Maria Brünnlein Wemding. Wemding (?)
  • Wolfgang Braunfels (Ed.): Lexicon of Christian Iconography. , eight volumes, Herder Verlag, Freiburg im Breisgau a. a. 1968-1976. ISBN 3-451-22568-9 .
  • Walter L. Strauss, John T. Spike (Eds.): The Illustrated Bartsch. NY: Abaris Books, New York 1978-, Volume 52

To individual symbols

  • Romuald Bauerreiß , Arbor Vitae. The "Tree of Life" and its use in liturgy, art and customs of the West , Munich 1938.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Maria Kassel: Biblical archetypes . Depth psychological interpretation according to CG Jung , Freiburg, Basel, Vienna 1992
  2. ↑ http://www.beyars.com/kunstlexikon/lexikon_5771.html
  3. ↑ Julius Tycziak: The wisdom literature of the Old Testament. Paderborn 1948, p. 136ff, esp. P. 137 Note - The “Maria sapientia accommodation” possibly goes back to the early medieval school of Chartres ; on this: Karl Stackmann: Salomônes lêre. Proverbs of the Old Testament in chant poetry. In: Vestigia Bibliae 24/25 , Bern 2004, ISBN 3-03910-347-4 , p. 71, with reference to Michael Stolz.
  4. ↑ Gert Oswald : Lexicon of Heraldry . Bibliographisches Institut Leipzig, 1984, p. 264.