InChristianity, theVisitation, also known as the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, refers to the visit ofMary, who was pregnant withJesus, toElizabeth, who was pregnant withJohn the Baptist, in theGospel of Luke,Luke 1:39–56. The episode is one of the standard scenes shown in cycles of theLife of the Virgin in art, and sometimes in larger cycles of theLife of Christ in art.
It is also the name of a Christianfeast day commemorating this visit, traditionally celebrated on July 2 inWestern Christianity and March 30 inEastern Christianity. In the revised calendars of some churches in the West, it is now often celebrated on May 31 instead.
TheGospel of Luke gives the only Biblical account of the Visitation:
And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: and she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
In the story, Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, the wife ofZechariah. They are both pregnant, Mary with Jesus and Elizabeth about six months' pregnant withJohn the Baptist (Luke 1:36). Mary leftNazareth immediately after theAnnunciation and went "into the hill country ... into a city of Judah" (Luke 1:39) to attend to her cousin (Luke 1:36) Elizabeth. There are several possibilities as to exactly which city this was, includingHebron, south ofJerusalem, andEin Karem. The journey from Nazareth to Hebron is about 130 kilometres (81 mi) in a direct line, probably up to half as far again by road, depending on the route taken.
Upon hearing Mary's greeting to Elizabeth, Elizabeth exclaims, beginning, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb” (Luke 1:42), echoing and expanding upon the greeting given by the archangel Gabriel at the Annunciation (Luke 1:28). This exclamation forms the second part of theHail Mary. In response to Elizabeth, Mary proclaims theMagnificat, also known as the Song of Mary.
Mary stayed three months with Elizabeth (Luke 1:56), and most scholars hold she stayed for the birth of John.[citation needed] Given the prevailing cultural traditions and needs for security, it is probable thatJoseph accompanied Mary to Judah then returned to Nazareth, and came again after three months to take his wife home. The apparition of the angel, mentioned in Matthew 1:19–25, may have taken place then to end the tormenting doubts of Joseph regarding Mary's maternity.[1]
![Fresco of the Annunciation and Visitation, 13th ct., crypt of Saint-Laurent-et-Notre-Dame [fr], Gargilesse-Dampierre](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGargilesse-Dampierre_(36)_%25C3%2589glise_Saint-Laurent_et_Notre-Dame_Crypte_Fresques_16.JPG)
| Feast of the Visitation | |
|---|---|
 Painting by Jerónimo Ezquerra, circa 1730s | |
| Observed by | Liturgical churches |
| Type | Christian |
| Date | May 31 (General Roman Calendar) July 2 (Anglican, Germany, Slovakia) March 30 (Eastern Orthodox) Third Sunday in theSeason of Annunciation (Syriac) |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Feast of the Annunciation, Nativity of John the Baptist |
The feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is of medieval origin. In 1389Pope Urban VI, hoping thereby to obtain an end to theGreat Western Schism, inserted it at the urging ofJohn of Jenstein,Archbishop of Prague, in the Roman Calendar, for celebration on July 2.[2] In theTridentine calendar, it was a Double. When that Missal ofPope Pius V was replaced by that ofPope Clement VIII in 1604, the Visitation became a Double of the Second Class, or, as it would be called from 1960 byPope John XXIII's reform, a Second-Class Feast.[3] It continued to be assigned to July 2, the day after the end of theoctave following thebirthday ofJohn the Baptist, who was still in his mother's womb at the time of the Visitation. In addition to July 2, the Visitation was also traditionally marked on Ember Friday in Advent, providing the Gospel reading for that day.[4]
The1969 revision of the Roman calendar moved it to May 31, between the "Annunciation of the Lord (25 March) and that of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (24 June), so that it would harmonize better with the Gospel story."[5] The Visitation is also the secondJoyful Mystery of theRosary.[6]
In the calendar of the Anglican1662 Book of Common Prayer, the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is ablack-letter day marked on July 2,[7] although many modern Anglican calendars now celebrate the Visitation on May 31 in line with the changes made to the Roman calendar.[citation needed] TheCatholic andLutheran churches of Germany have also retained the date of July 2.[citation needed] Similarly, theCatholic Church in Slovakia has also retained July 2 because of an important national pilgrimage to theBasilica of the Visitation in the town ofLevoča that has been held in the first weekend of July since the 13th century.[citation needed]Traditionalist Catholics, who use a pre-1970 calendar, also observe July 2.[citation needed]
The celebration of afeast day commemorating this event in theEastern Orthodox Church is of relatively recent origin, dating only to the 19th century. The impetus to establish a feast day in theEastern Orthodox liturgical calendar, and the composition of a service to be included in theMenaion, were the work ofArchimandriteAntonin Kapustin (1817–1894), head of theRussian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission inJerusalem.[8] TheGorny Convent [ru] inEin Karem, built on the traditional site of the Visitation, celebrates this feast on 30 March. If 30 March falls betweenLazarus Saturday andPascha / Easter, the Visitation Feast is transferred toBright Friday. Celebration of the Feast of the Visitation has not yet been accepted by all Orthodox jurisdictions.[citation needed]
InSyriac Christianity the feast of the Visitation is celebrated on the third Sunday in theSeason of Annunciation prior to Christmas.[9]
The visitation of Mary to Elizabeth in Luke 1:39—56 is seen by many as a rich source of commentary on the role of Mary in the Christian Church. Pointing to the veneration of the Mother of God in the Catholic Church, German theologianJustus Knecht (1839–1921), writes that:[10]
In the Magnificat Mary said prophetically: "From henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." This prophecy has been fulfilled in the Catholic Church, for our holy Church honours our Lady by special feasts and special devotions. How would it be possible not to pay honour to her whom God raised to such a high dignity, and praised in such a manner by the mouths of Gabriel and Elizabeth! Our veneration of the holy Mother of God is well founded both on Holy Scripture and on reason.
Knetch also notes that Mary gives us a "pattern of charity", writing:[10]
Why did Mary hasten to visit her cousin? ... Firstly, the angel had referred her to Elizabeth, although she had believed his words without asking for a sign. She therefore believed it to be God’s will that she should visit her cousin, and convince herself of the truth of the sign given her, i. e. that Elizabeth was about to have a son. Secondly, Mary knew well that her cousin had grieved for many years on account of being childless, and she knew how happy she must be now that the cause of her grief was removed. Mary’s loving heart sympathised with the happiness of her cousin; she desired to wish her joy, rejoice with her, and join her in praising God’s mercy. He who really loves his neighbour has a loving sympathy with his joys and sorrows. Thirdly, Mary, as the holy Fathers teach, wished to minister to her cousin, and help her in her household affairs.
SomeCatholic commentators have maintained that the purpose of this visit was to bringdivine grace to both Elizabeth and her unborn child. Even though he was still in his mother's womb, John became aware of the presence of Christ, and leapt for joy as he was cleansed fromoriginal sin and filled with divine grace. Elizabeth also responded and recognised the presence of Jesus, and thus Mary exercised her function asmediatrix between God and man for the first time.[1]
InRoger Baxter'sMeditations For Every Day In The Year, he compares the visitation to the Ark of the Covenant, writing the following:[11]
Consider the inspired words of Scripture: "The ark of the Lord abode in the house of Obededom, the Gethite, three months; and the Lord blessed Obededom and all his household." (2 Samuel vi. 11.) [sic] How much more may we suppose did He bless the house of Zachary, in which the living ark of the Lord and the mother of God dwelt so long.
The word "blessed" in Elizabeth's exclamation is rendered in Greek not by the word "makarios" but as "evlogimeni", which is the feminine second person singular, used only this once in the New Testament. Its masculine third person singular counterpart "evlogimenos" is used only for Jesus and only on this occasion and when he waswelcomed into Jerusalem onPalm Sunday with "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord".[citation needed]
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