Our Lady of Carnival

Our Lady of Carnival is an early story by Gertrud von le Fort that was published posthumously in 1975 by Verlag der Arche in Zurich . It is entwined around an image of the Virgin Mary in Venice popularly called Our Lady of Carnival . During the Carnival, Our Lady emerges from this painting in the Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli , takes part - with a small face mask - in a masked ball and brings an unequal couple together.

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Image of Mary in the Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli

Casa d'Oro, location of the masked ball

In times of the rebellious monk von Wittenberg and the sinister Calvin , godlessness in the lagoon city must also be fought. The Holy Office , i.e. the Inquisition, sends the Jesuit Father Giacopone to put the life of the dissolute Pompeo Doro back on track. The gentlemen of the Inquisition already have a remedy ready. The priest from Rome , experienced in the silent intrigue, is supposed to manage Pompeo's engagement to the lovely Rosabella Loredan . However, the half-orphan Rosabella is too pious for the plan desired by the superiors. She pressures Pompeo with attempts at conversion. The priest, who is out for quick success, therefore uses the seductive Lelia Vendramin as a tool to lead Pompeo into marriage. Pompeo and Lelia throw themselves in for fun.

The young Rosabella, averse to this carnaval parade pray before the image of Our Lady and prays fervently future marital bliss: "Now, do you think he and does not append my Lelia Vendramin." Rosabella asleep in front of the image of Mary a. Our Lady gets out of the picture, steps out of the church and takes a gondola to Casa Doro . The carnival revelers in the palace take the Madonna costume as a frivolous joke by the host Pompeo. Pompeo himself finds increasing pleasure in the charm of the beautiful mask when dancing, does not want to know anything about Lelia Vendrin's seductive skills and feels more and more drawn to the absent Rosabella, but does not know why. Masked clerics present were indignant about the apparent blasphemy. A plot against the foreign mask is quickly forged. When the disapproving want to take action against them, Pompeo draws his sword and fights against the advancing. One of the clergy wants to tear the little black silk mask from the Mother of God, but the strange visitor disappears in a cloud of light that soon dissolves. Only the small black face mask remains on a column base. Henceforth the Inquisition does not dare to take action against Pompeo, who so steadfastly protected the Mother of God. Rosabella Loredan marries Pompeo Doro. Our Lady of Carnival helped.

literature

Used edition

• Our Lady of Carnival. A Venetian legend. Illustrations by Robert Wyss . Die Arche, Zurich 1975, ISBN 3-7160-1526-1 .

Secondary literature

• Nicholas J. Meyerhofer: Gertrud von le Fort . (= Heads of the 20th century. Volume 119). Morgenbuch Verlag, Berlin 1993, ISBN 3-371-00376-0 .
• Gero von Wilpert : Lexicon of world literature. German authors A - Z. Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-520-83704-8 , p. 382.

Web links

• Brief discussion at the literary society Gertrud von le Fort

annotation

1. ↑ In 1896 Gertrud von le Fort was impressed by Venice (Meyerhofer, p. 32). After viewing the estate, Eleonore von La Chevallerie (born September 30, 1926 in Gumbinnen ; † November 14, 2004 in Ehningen ) assumes a year shortly before 1909 (edition used, p. 57).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Edition used, p. 37, 8. Zvo