The Coronation of the Virgin Mary in Heaven | |
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| Litany of Loreto by Pope Sixtus V (1587): Queen of Angels and All Saints, Queen assumed into Heaven Pope Pius XII (1954): Queen of Heaven Second Vatican Council (1964): Queen of the Universe (Lumen Gentium, Section #59) | |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Feast | May 31st (until 1968) August 22nd (present) |
| Attributes | Mary crowned in Heaven by Jesus or jointly with God the Father, surrounded by Cherubim and/or Saints |
TheCoronation of the Virgin orCoronation of Mary is a subject inChristian art, especially popular in Italy in the 13th to 15th centuries, but continuing in popularity until the 18th century and beyond.Christ, sometimes accompanied byGod the Father and theHoly Spirit in the form of a dove, places a crown on the head ofMary asQueen of Heaven. In early versions the setting is aHeaven imagined as an earthly court, staffed by saints and angels; in later versions Heaven is more often seen as in the sky, with the figures seated on clouds. The subject is also notable as one where the whole ChristianTrinity is often shown together, sometimes in unusual ways. Crowned Virgins are also seen inEastern Orthodox Christianicons, specifically in the Russian Orthodox church after the 18th century. Mary is sometimes shown, in bothEastern andWestern Christian art, being crowned by one or two angels, but this is considered a different subject.
The subject became common as part of a general increase in devotion to Mary in the EarlyGothic period, and is one of the commonest subjects in surviving 14th-century Italian panel paintings, mostly made to go on a side-altar in a church. The great majority of Roman Catholic churches had (and have) aside altar or "Lady chapel" dedicated to Mary. The subject is still often enacted in rituals or popularpageants calledMay crownings, although the crowning is performed by human figures.
The belief in Mary as Queen of Heaven obtained the papal sanction ofPope Pius XII in hisencyclicalAd Caeli Reginam (English: 'Queenship of Mary in Heaven') of October 11, 1954.[1]
The feast deals with theAssumption of Mary's dogma: as was the case for Jesus Christ, with his bodilyAscension into Heaven, so too the celestial glorification of Mary culminates with her coronation asQueen of the Angels, of theSaints and of the entire Universe.[2]
TheRoman Catholic Church celebrates the feast every August 22, in place of the formeroctave day of theAssumption of Mary in 1969, a change made byPope Paul VI. The feast was formerly celebrated on May 31, at the end of the Marian month, where thepresent liturgical calendar now commemorates theFeast of the Visitation. In addition, there areCanonical coronations authorized by the Pope which are given to specific Marian images venerated in a particular place.
The act of the Virgin Mother of God being physically crowned as Queen of Heaven and Earth after her Assumption is a traditional Catholic belief echoed in theRosary. The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the fifth of theGlorious Mysteries of the Rosary.[3]
The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin is also a subject of devotion throughout Christianity. Beyond art, the Coronation is a central motif in Marianprocessions around the world, such as theGrand Marian Procession in Los Angeles, revived by theQueen of Angels Foundation.
The scene is the final episode in theLife of the Virgin, and follows herAssumption – not yetdogma in theMiddle Ages – orDormition. The scriptural basis is found in theSong of Songs (4.8),Psalms (45.11–12) andRevelation (12.1–7). A sermon wrongly believed to be bySaint Jerome elaborated on these and was used by standard medieval works such as theGolden Legend and other writers. The subject also appears inBooks of Hours. The title "Queen of Heaven", orRegina Coeli, for Mary goes back to at least the 12th century.
The subject also drew from the idea of the Virgin as the “Throne ofSolomon”, that is the throne on which aChrist Child sits in aMadonna and Child. It was felt that the throne itself must be royal. This is related to the popularsedes sapientiae motif. In general, the art of this period, often paid for by royalty and the nobility, increasingly regarded the heavenly court as a mirror of earthly ones.
The subject seems to first appear in art, unusually, in England, where f. 102v in theBenedictional of St Æthelwold (963-984), for theFeast of the Assumption, shows the death and Coronation of the Virgin, possibly the first Western depiction.[4] There are also atympanum over the door of the church atQuenington inGloucestershire of perhaps 1140, and another damaged example fromReading Abbey (Reading, Berkshire).[4] From around this time it was rapidly adopted and is prominent in the portals of French Gothic cathedrals[5] such asSenlis,Chartres,Strasbourg,Laon,Notre-Dame de Paris,Amiens andReims, indeed most 13th-century cathedrals in France.
There are three examples extant onDevon rood screen dados: atEast Portlemouth,Holne, andTorbryan.
The act ofcoronation is deeply rooted in Bible, reflecting the promise of eternal reward for all believers, as seen inJames 1:12. The Scripture mentionsfive crowns that believers may receive in Heaven, one of which is the crown of life, awarded to "those who persevere under trials" (Revelation 2:10). Once Mary is recognized as a figure of the Church and the "exemplary realization" of the Church,[6] she anticipates this promise and is the first to be crowned. Her coronation symbolizes hope for all believers, echoing the universal promise of salvation within the Christian faith.
In earlier versions, Mary and Christ often sit side-by-side on a wide throne, and typically are only accompanied by angels in smaller altarpieces, although these were often inpolyptych form, and had saints on side-panels, now often separated. Later, God the Father often sits to the left of Christ, with the Holy Spirit hovering between them, and Mary kneeling in front and below them. Christ and the Father are normally differentiated by age, and to some extent by costume: God the Father is often wearing a beehive-shaped crown, reminiscent of aPapal tiara.
By the 15th century, more individual interpretations are found. From theHigh Renaissance onwards, the subject is often combined with anAssumption as a group of Apostles is on the earthly space below the heavenly scene, sometimes with Mary's empty tomb. As the central panel of altarpieces became larger until it abandoned thepredella and side-panels, the Coronation was one subject suited to a very tall composition, especially if it had Apostles or other saints of importance to the community depicted on the lower sections.
The "crown" of Mary has been mentioned since the 6th century, as "corona virginum" (crown of virgins).[7] The crown has several meanings in secular depictions. The ancientlaurel crown in theOlympic Games signified victory, and a crown in gold and precious stones indicate power and wealth. In Christian iconography, the crown develops religious meanings. In an early mosaic in Ravenna, Italy, virgins present a crown to the child and Mary as a gesture of humility.[8] The Three kings present their crowns to the newly born Jesus as a symbol of secular power submitting to Christ.[8] Marian crowns often include elements of victory and glory, especially during the Baroque period.
A crowned Mary is usually seen inJesse Trees, which stress her earthly royal descent from theHouse of David, something accorded considerable importance in the Middle Ages. InSanta Maria in Trastevere in Rome, she is shown as Christ's mother, who participates in his kingdom.[9] The Latin text there, adapted from theSong of Songs, reads:Tota pulchra es, amica mea, veni coronavi.
Works of single panels, if not noted otherwise.
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