Mary, mother of Jesus

Mary (c. 18 BCE – c. 41 CE) was a first-century Judean woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is a central figure of Christianity, venerated under various titles such as virgin, queen, and saint.^[1]

Legacy and influence[edit | edit source]

Owing to her centrality in Christianity, Mary has a great number of churches, cathedrals, and abbeys dedicated to her, such as the Carmo Convent in Portugal,^[2] the Cathedral of Havana in Cuba,^[3] the Notre-Dame de Québec in Canada,^[4] Notre-Dame in France,^[5] Seville Cathedral in Spain,^[6] and both St. Mary le Strand^[7] and Sancta Maria's Abbey in England,^[8] to name a few.

In Italy, Florence is home to the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore and the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella, while Venice houses the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari and the churches of Santa Maria dei Carmini, Santa Maria della Visitazione, and Madonna dell'Orto,^[9] while Rome has the Basilica di Santa Maria in Ara Coeli, the Chiesa di Santa Maria in Vallicella, the twin churches of Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria di Montesant, as well as the Pantheon.^[10]

In 590, the Parthenon was converted into a church dedicated to Mary, who replaced Athena as the new patron protector of Athens. It became the fourth most important pilgrimage destination in the Byzantine Empire, after Constantinople, Ephesus, and Thessalonica.^[11]

In 1251, it was said that Mary appeared to Simon Stock of Cambridge and told him that those who wore a brown scapular would be granted salvation.^[12]

During the Renaissance, biblical scenes and motifs were widely used in art. Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze purchased a number of paintings featuring the Virgin Mary to adorn the galleries at Monteriggioni^[9] and Rome.^[10]