Mary, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Our Lady Of The Catacombs

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FEAST DAY: December 31
Patroness: The Dying, Poor Souls in Purgatory
Location: St. Priscilla's Cemetery; Rome, Italy

Image Description:
Mary nursing Jesus painted on the catacombs wall by St. Priscilla A.D. 170.

The Blessed Mother is shown seated wearing a long woolen garmen usually worn by Roman matrons. Her head is covered with a short veil (it is the veil used to cover the heads of dedicated virgins).

The Holy Child is seated upon His Mother's knee turned towards her breast yet glancing back to look at someone else who is apparently approaching.

Standing beside the Blessed Mother is the figure of a man dressed in the cloak reserved for philosophers of distinction, pointing upwards to a star only faintly discernible above the Mother's head.

The star symbolizes the divinity of Christ and is reminiscent of the Star of Bethlehem. The group is depicted beneath a large, flourishing tree which has blossomed.

Painted close by in the Catacombs a few decades (1500-1600) later are:

1. The tall figure of the Virgin robed and veiled standing with her arms outstretched in the primitive posture of prayer. On one side is a Bishop, the Pope, reminescent of traditional protraits of St. Peter. He is working with two assistants placing the ceremonial veil on the head of an avowed virgin.

2. A figure of Our Lady vested in a long dalmatic, with the Holy Child, looking towards the scene of the veiling. The Virgin Mother, Advocate of the other virgin, Eve, is included in this group as being the true and external model of virginity.

The Catacombs are one of the strongest proofs of the historical reality of the origins of Christendom. In the figure standing left of Our Lady, historians have decided it is the Prophet Isaias, whose prophecy first predicted The Incarnation. "The Lord Himself shall give you a sign. Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel."

There is a star between Isaias and Our Lady representing the Star of Bethlehem.

To the left of Isaias the branches of the blossoming tree extend over the group. The tree represents the Old Testament prohecy: "The Rock of Jesse has blossomed; the Virgin has brought forth Love and Man."

It is evident that the early Christians venerated Mary, Our Mother soon after her assumption into heaven. The image of the Madonna with her child in the Catacombs must be considered one of the first images of Our Lady and the saints and martyrs of our church.

In spite of the fact that 2000 years of Rome's history saw the city occupied, invaded and ransacked by her enemies, despoiled by her own citizens, the image of Our Lady of the Catacombs remains almost competely intact.

The colors of the picture are faded and the features are not completely clear but the attitude of the seated Madonna and the Child are radiant. In this picture by an unknown painter, art & faith have joined to express the bond between God and man.

It is believed that the image was painted so that Christians might share the sight of Mary and her Child down in the Catacombs. It would refresh their spirits with the memory of her gentle gaze and help them deal with the hostile world above.