Description:

St. Maria Mater amabilis (Mary, Most Beloved Mother) Haut-Relief Ecclesiastical Carving
This sculptural plaque is a charming 19th c. carving of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus, and it includes a Latin inscription in gilded Gothic letters on its base: St Maria Mater amabilis.

Mary wears a white veil outlined in gold, a pink tunic and her white-lined blue mantle is dotted with gilded stars. She holds Baby Jesus in a prominent position above her lap so that he can be clearly seen. She sits on a golden throne whose two pinnacles (ears) culminate in large fleurs-de-lys. Her solemn expression lets us know that she is contemplating her Son and His Passion. Christ gazes at the viewer with an equally serious expression while holding his tiny hands together as if he were in prayer.

This scene of the Madonna and Child is an iconic one, a deeply beloved one in the Catholic faith. The name "mater amabilis" for Mary comes from a series of titles officially given to her as a result of Pope Sixtus V's approval of the Loreto Litanies (prayers dedicated to Mary, most possibly the holiest and greatest saint in the Catholic tradition) in 1587 (and previously published in Dilligen, Germany, under the title "Letania Loretana" by Dutch Jesuit Petrus Canisius in 1558). The invocations to Our Lady are characterized by a long series of praises (virgo clemens) and supplications (ora pro nobis).

Loreto is one of the most famous shrines dedicated to Mary and where thousands of pilgrims have visited since 1294 when her home ("santa casa") from Nazareth was believed to have been flown in by angels to the town of Loreto (where it remains enshrined in the city's basilica). From the middle ages onward, pilgrims became familiar with her life, her home and her related litanies--and these pilgrims then spread the many Marian prayers and stories across Europe (and the world) on their return trips home. Today millions of pilgrims continue to venerate Mary as they visit her home within the famous Basilica della Santa Casa di Loreto.

  • Dimensions: 13" x 19"; 16.5" x 22" framed

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July 29, 2023 10:00 AM CDT
St. Louis, MO, US

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