St Mary, Mother of God
Since St Mary is the mother of Jesus, she is also often called the “Mother of the Church”.
In the Bible Mary was betrothed to Joseph, a carpenter from Nazareth. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke say that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and the representation of Mary as the epitome of purity has been a core tenet of the Christian faith.
Mary gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem on 25 December and was present at the Crucifixion. Instead of dying of old age, she was taken up into heaven while still alive. This event is known as the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In 787 CE, the Council of Nicaea established that Mary, as the “Queen of Heaven” and the “Mother of God”, should be venerated to a higher degree than the other saints. The Virgin Mary has a more prominent place in the Catholic and Orthodox churches, which have many feast days in her honour.
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Feast day
25 March (the Feast of the Annunciation)
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Attribute
A veil and cloak
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The sculpture
The statue was modelled by Stinius Fredriksen and carved by Oscar Lynum in 1938.
