Queen of Heaven in Catholic art

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Earliest known (6th century) Roman depiction of Satna Maria Regina (Saint Mary the Queen), Santa Maria Antiqua church, Rome.

The depiction of the

Virgin Mary
as the Queen of Heaven has been a popular subject in Catholic art for centuries.

Early Christian art shows Mary in an elevated position. She carries her divine son Jesus in her hands, or holds him. After he ascended into heaven to reign in divine glory, Mary, his mother, was assumed into heaven and participates in his heavenly glory. One of the themes in the depiction of the Virgin as queen is the Coronation of the Virgin, often built on the third phase of the Assumption of Mary in which, following her Assumption, she is crowned as the Queen of Heaven. Narrative pictures of the Coronation of the Virgin may often be distinguished from allegorical pictures of the Queen of Heaven by the appearance in them of events from the last days of the Virgin on Earth, such as the deathbed and the Apostles and friends weeping for her.[1]

The earliest known Roman depiction of "Santa Maria Regina", depicting the Virgin Mary as a queen, dates to the 6th century and is found in the modest church of

Roman Catholic Marian churches, this church was used by Pope John VII in the early 8th century as the see of the bishop of Rome. Also in the 8th century, the Second Council of Nicaea decreed that such pictures of Mary should be venerated.[5]

The Virgin as queen was a recurring theme in many books composed in her honor in 13th century France. In the Speculum beatae Mariae she was at once queen of Heaven, where she was enthroned in the midst of angels, and queen of Earth, where she constantly manifested her power. The concept was carried over to art that decorated churches, e.g. the west porch of

Notre Dame, Paris where she is seated in regal state, as well as in a window at Laon Cathedral.[6]

Part of a series on the
Mariology
of the Catholic Church
Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (c. 1675)
Overview
Titles of Mary
hymns
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Apparitions
Approved, with widespread liturgical
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Key Marian feast days
Catholicism portal

In the early 16th century, Protestant reformers began to discourage

Pius XII
. The veneration of Mary as queen continues into the 21st century, but artistic expressions do not have a leading role as in previous times.

See also

  • Art in Roman Catholicism
  • Roman Catholic Marian churches

Notes

  1. ^ George Ferguson, 1966 Signs & symbols in Christian art
    ISBN 0-19-501432-4
    page 76
  2. ISBN 88-8265-217-3
    page 34
  3. ISBN 0-271-02551-4
    page 21
  4. ISBN 0-85115-881-1
    page 175
  5. ^ Tschochner 590
  6. ISBN 0-486-41061-7
    page 235-236.
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