Gate of Heaven

Gate of Heaven ( lat. Ianua caeli , also Porta caeli ) is one of the invocations of Mary in the Lauretanian litany, based on Ez 44.2 EU . It is mainly used in the Catholic and Orthodox Church and refers to Mary as the mother of Jesus , the Redeemer, and to her honorary title “Queen of Heaven”.

A sermon delivered at the Council of Ephesus in 431 alludes to the conception of the Holy Spirit and the process of the birth of Jesus from the Virgin Mary: “As a human being, Emmanuel opened the gate of nature, but as God he did not violate the seal of virginity . "

Therefore, the subject of Mary as the gate of heaven is also the subject of numerous altarpieces and frescoes in churches (especially since the Baroque) and on old town houses. It is found in many hymns and hymns . The earliest are Ave maris stella ( felix caeli porta , 8th century), Alma redemptoris mater, and Ave Regina caelorum (12th century). It was also chosen as a patronage of churches or foundations; compare with Porta coeli .

literature

Claus Bernet : Gate scenes, gates of heaven, Porta Coeli. Norderstedt 2014, ISBN 978-3-7322-5064-6 .

Individual evidence

↑ cf. John Henry Newman : Meditations and Prayers. Pp. 271-273.
↑ Schwart: Acta Conc. Oecum. tom. I, vol. I. Berlin 1927, p. 1.107, quoted by: Walter Dürig: Die Lauretanische Litanei. Sankt Ottilien 1990, p. 56.

[1] . John Henry Newman : Meditations and Prayers. Pp. 271-273.

[2] Schwart: Acta Conc. Oecum. tom. I, vol. I. Berlin 1927, p. 1.107, quoted by: Walter Dürig: Die Lauretanische Litanei. Sankt Ottilien 1990, p. 56.