The Virgin Mary
Images of Mary honor the Mother of God, whom the Church venerates with special devotion as the model of faith.
What the Virgin Mary means
Statues, paintings and medals of the Virgin Mary are among the most common sights in Catholic churches and homes. Through sacred images of the Mother of God, the angels and the saints, Catholics venerate the persons shown (CCC 1192). The Catechism adds that this devotion to Mary differs essentially from the adoration given to God, and in fact fosters it (CCC 971).
Her central title is Mother of God. Because the child she conceived by the Holy Spirit is the eternal Son of the Father, the Church confesses that Mary is truly Mother of God, in Greek Theotokos (CCC 495). The Council of Ephesus affirmed the title in 431 against Nestorius, who held that she was only the mother of the man Christ.
Many Marian images illustrate a particular teaching. The Immaculate Conception, defined by Pius IX in 1854, holds that Mary was preserved from all stain of original sin from the first moment of her conception. The Assumption teaches that at the end of her earthly life she was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things (CCC 966).
One of the best-known Marian images is the Miraculous Medal. Its design comes from visions reported in 1830 by St. Catherine Labouré, a Daughter of Charity in Paris: Mary with outstretched arms on the front, and on the back the letter M with a cross, twelve stars, and the hearts of Jesus and Mary.
