Mary, Untier of Knots
Mary, Untier of Knots | |
---|---|
Artist | Johann Georg Schmidtner |
Year | c. 1700 |
Type | Oil on poplar |
Dimensions | 182 cm × 110 cm (72 in × 43 in) |
Location | St. Peter am Perlach, Augsburg, Germany |
Mary, Untier of Knots or Mary, Undoer of Knots is the name of both a
Painting
The painting, executed in the Baroque style by Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner (1625-1707), shows the
Below are a human figure being led by an angel, often interpreted as Tobias and the Archangel Raphael traveling to ask Sara to be his wife.[2] The two small figures have also been interpreted as a representation of Wolfgang Langenmantel, the grandfather of the benefactor, guided in his distress by a guardian angel to Father Jakob Rem in Ingolstadt.[2] Although certain copies and reproductions show a dog accompanying the two figures, there is no dog in the original painting.
The concept of Mary untying knots is derived from a work by
History
The painting was donated around 1700 by Hieronymus Ambrosius Langenmantel (1641-1718),
The donation is said to be connected with an event in his family. His grandfather, Wolfgang Langenmantel (1586-1637) was on the verge of separation from his wife Sophia Rentz (1590-1649), and therefore sought help from Jakob Rem, a
Although the tradition is that the image was painted in thanksgiving from H.A. Langenmantel for his grandparents' marriage being saved through Jakob Rem's intercession, research has been unable to prove a connection between the two events. According to Dr. Leo Hintermayr, the story associated with the image and its title, Untier of Knots, emerged in the second half of the 20th century.[8]
Devotion
The first chapel dedicated to "Mary, Untier of Knots" was completed in 1989 in Styria, Austria, as a supplication following the Chernobyl disaster.[9] The image of "Mary, Undoer of Knots" is especially venerated in Argentina and Brazil,[2] where churches have been named for her and devotion to her has become widespread and which The Guardian called a "religious craze".[10]
This
It was thought that while still a younger priest, Bergoglio had seen the actual painting in Augsburg and brought a copy of it to Argentina. In a 2017 interview for the German newsweekly Die Zeit, Pope Francis stated that he had never been to Augsburg, and that a German nun once sent him a Christmas card with the image, arousing his interest.[11] Bergoglio then sent seminarians with copies of the image to the slums of Buenos Aires, where the faithful were overwhelmed by the depiction of Mary as a problem-solver. He then commissioned Barbara Klimmeck, an exchange student from Eichstätt, to document the Augsburg original with all its details so that a copy could be made.[12] This was done in Buenos Aires by the artist Ana de Betta Berti,[13] for the Church of San José del Talar, where it has been enshrined since 8 December 1996. On the eight day of each month, thousands make the pilgrimage to that church to venerate the image.[14]
The devotion reached Brazil by the end of the 20th century. According to Regina Novaes, of the Institute of Religious Studies in Rio de Janeiro, Mary, Untier of Knots "attracts people with small problems".[10] Cardinal Bergoglio had this image of Mary engraved on a chalice he presented to then-Pope Benedict XVI.[15] Another chalice with the image, by the same silversmith, is to be presented to Pope Francis by the Argentine people.
Knowing about Pope Francis' special devotion to the image, South Korean ambassador to the Vatican Baek Man Lee in 2018 presented him with a Korean rendition of the painting.[16]
On 31 May 2021, Pope Francis crowned a copy of Mary, Untier of Knots, in the Vatican Gardens.[17]
The devotion to Mary, the Untier of Knots, can be found at numerous religious sites around the world.[9] The feast day of Mary, Untier of Knots, is on 28 September, although this is not officially listed in the present General Roman Calendar.
Title in other languages
Mary, Untier of Knots, has different names in other languages:
- English: Mary, Untier of Knots; Mary, Undoer of Knots; Mary who Unties the Knots
- Arabic: العذراء التي تحل العقد (ʿAḏrāʾ allatī taḥullu l-ʿuqad)
- Chinese: 解結聖母瑪利亞 (Pinyin: Jiějié Shèngmǔ Mǎlìyà)
- Croatian: Marija koja razvezuje čvorove
- Dutch: Maria die de knopen ontwart
- French: Marie qui défait les Nœuds
- German: Maria Knotenlöserin
- Hungarian: A csomókat feloldó Mária
- Ido: Maria Desliganta la Nodi
- Italian: Maria che Scioglie i Nodi
- Malayalam: കുരുക്കുകളഴിക്കുന്ന മാതാവ് (Kurukkukal azhikunna madhavu)
- Polish: Maria Rozwiązująca Węzły
- Portuguese: Maria Desatadora dos Nós; Nossa Senhora Desatadora dos Nós
- Spanish: María Desatanudos; María, Desatadora de Nudos; María, la que Desata los Nudos
- Russian: Мария, развязывающая узлы (Mariya, razvyazyvajushchaya uzly)
- Sinhala: ශු. මරිය තුමිය , ගැටලිහීමේ දේවමාතාවෝ
- Tagalog: Maria, Tagakalág ng mga Buhól ng Buhay; Ináng Desay
- Tamil: துன்ப முடிச்சுக்களை அவிழ்க்கும் அன்னை
See also
- Marian devotions
- Turamichele, fighting the Archangel Michael at the Perlach-Tower
- Girdle of Thomas
References
- ^ Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 Edition
- ^ a b c Richard Lenar. "History of the Devotion to Mary, Untier of Knots". A Dictionary of Mary. University of Dayton. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ Irenaeus, Against Heresies, III, 22
- ^ Richard Lenar. "Untier of Knots". Università of Dayton.
- ^ "Correspondance Kircher -Langenmantel".
- JSTOR 2709164.
- ^ "The society of the Carpophores" (in Italian). 7 April 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ Kreitmeir, Klaus (24 June 2016). "Franziskus machte sie bekannt". Bistum Eichstätt (in German). Retrieved 28 September 2023.
- ^ a b International Fraternity of the Virgin Mary Untier of Knots, "List of Churches, Chapels and Places Archived 28 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine where the Virgin Mary, Untier of Knots is venerated [as] Maria Knotenlöserin". Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- ^ a b Bellos, Alex (23 December 2001). "Virgin painting ties Brazilians in knots". The Guardian (UK). Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ "Ich kenne auch die leeren Momente" Was bedeutet Glaube? Ein ZEIT-Gespräch mit Papst Franziskus". die Zeit. 6 April 2017. Archived from the original on 26 July 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ "Tausende pilgern zum "heimlichen Weltstar" nach Augsburg". Augsburger Allgemeine. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ (in Italian and German) Falasca, Stefania. "Nessun groviglio è senza uscita - Kein Problem (Verwicklung) endet in einer Sackgasse [Italian & German, "No Tangle is a Dead End"]", Avvenire, 14 April 2013.
- ^ (in Spanish) Facebook of the parish of San José del Talar in Buenos Aires, with the photograph of the copy of the icon there.
- ^ Jiménez, Pablo (14 March 2013). "The Pope's chalice: silver-made, austere and featuring Our Lady of Luján". Buenos Aires Herald. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ "New ambassador from Korea deeply honored to present credentials to Holy Father". RomeReports.com. 16 February 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
- ^ "Pope Francis turns to Mary, Undoer of Knots, at end of rosary marathon for end to pandemic". Catholic News Agency. EWTN News. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
External links
- Virgin Mary, Untier of Knots (International Fraternity)
- Mary, Undoer of Knots (US and Canada)
- The Holy Grail of Pope Francis: Our Lady of Lujan and Undoer of Knots (Blog: Mary Victrix)
- If life has become a bit knotted, turn to Mary - Maria Knotenlöserin is a favorite of Pope Francis - (TheCompass, 19 November 2013)
- The Blessed Virgin Mary, Untier of Knots - (Thinking Faith, 21 May 2013)
- Book of Tobit (Douay-Rheims Bible)
- (in German) Official Website of the Church of St. Peter am Perlach
- (in German) Mary, Untier of Knots: Links between Augsburg and Buenos Aires
- (in Portuguese) Maria Desatadora dos Nós Archived 10 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine (Brazil)
- (in Portuguese) Prayer to Nossa Senhora Desatadora dos Nós (Brazil)
- (in Spanish) Maria Desatanudos