The Virgin Mary
The cult of the Virgin Mary started in the fourth century but it was not until the thirteenth century that she became as popular as Jesus Christ. The Immaculate Conception refers to her birth without original sin, making her the pure vessel for the conception of Jesus, who is venerated as the Holy Mother. She is the rose without thorns, the Queen of Heaven. The doctrine dedicated to Virgin Mary was officially recognized as a dogma of faith by Pope Pius IX, through the Papal Bull Ineffabilis Deus, December 8, 1854. The Spanish monarch and the most powerful orders such as those of the Franciscans, Carmelites, Mercedarians and the Jesuits pressured the Church to define the Virgin Mary's dogma.   

Theological discussion on the purity of Virgin Mary became the central issue of the Catholic Church in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The monastic order of the Dominicans, including Aquinas, rejected the possibility of the Immaculate Conception while the Franciscans defended its dogma. After centuries of theological debates and papal sanctions confirming its orthodoxy and having Spain under its tutelage in the seventeenth century, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was approved in 1854.

 

The Immaculate Conception
Feast day: December 8
Patroness of Chaplains and Spanish military.
The story of Mary started with her Immaculate Conception through Mary's birth without original sin; the pure vessel for the conception of Jesus: hence her title "Purissima." She was the daughter of the elderly couple Anna and Joachim. The archangel Gabriel appeared to Anna and told her she would conceive a child. It will be through Mary and the birth of Christ that redemption of humanity will be given in pardon for Adam's and Eve's sin in paradise.
Attributes include the Virgin clothed with a white gown held together at the waistline by a golden tassel cord and enveloped by a dark blue mantle. She stands over the moon crushing the serpent of evil with her feet in allusion to her predestination to free man from the sin, as the "Second Eve." Upon her head a crown of twelve stars symbolizing the rosary, in combination with rays of light emanating from her body and lilies as the symbol of her purity.

 

Sorrowful Mother or Our Lady of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa)
Feast day: September 15
One common representations of the Sorrowful Mother is that of Virgin Mary with seven swords piercing her breast symbolizing her Seven Sorrows. The first sorrow refers to the prophecy of Simeon that she will be pierced through the heart. The other six sorrows, each represented by a sword, for her suffering during Christ's life: the Flight into Egypt, the lost Child Jesus in the temple, the meeting of Jesus and Mary on the way of the Cross, the crucifixion, the descent from the cross and the burial of Jesus. The solitary Virgin symbolizes the Church left alone to bear the suffering and sorrows of Christ's death. She may also be represented contemplating the Instruments of the Passion of Christ: the cross, the nails, lance, sponge, column, crown of thorns, chalice and washbasin. Other common elements are the lantern, torch, rope, sword, club, staff, and the purse, whereas the symbols related to the Flagellation include the cat-o'-nine-tails and the scourges. The ever-present crowing rooster alludes to the Denial of Peter and the ladder, pincers, hammer, robe, and dice symbolize the Crucifixion itself.

 

Pietà
Pietà, the Italian word for "pity," is usually used to describe the scene of Virgin Mary seated holding the dead body of Christ on her lap, the scene just following the Descent from the Cross. Christ's wounds are the symbol of human salvation and redemption from the original sin. Attributes include the five wounds of Christ with blood dripping onto the white cloth surrounding His body, the sword piecing Mary's heart, as well as the instruments of crucifixion.

 

 

 

 

 

Soul of Mary (Our Lady of Incarnation)
Feast day: March 25
The Incarnation relates to the moment when God sent the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove, through his messenger the Archangel Gabriel, to announce to Mary she was going to bear a son. Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, came to this world to offer a second chance for salvation to humankind, as an eternal gift for the sins committed by Adam and Eve in paradise. Mary is often represented in an attitude of humility and acceptance with her hands crossed on her breast. A dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit, represents the moment of the Incarnation of Christ. Attributes include Mary with a crown of roses upon her haloed head, holding lilies and roses to symbolize purity, and sometimes twelve stars, for the abbreviated form of the rosary. Her gown is white or pink whereas the cloak is always blue. Sometimes Mary is seated on or surrounded by clouds against a blue sky as if she were in heaven.

 

 

Our Lady of Refuge (Our Lady, Refuge of Sinner)
Feast day: July 4
Protector for oneself and for others.
Promotes confession, repentance, meditation and contemplation upon one's sins; the advocate of sinners. In Mexico the image of Our Lady of Refuge was used to comfort the people during an epidemic plague and a civil war. The missions displayed her image to the oppressed, relieving them of the weight of their sins. Attributes include the half-length representation of Mary, enthroned in clouds, holding the full-length figure of Jesus on her lap. She is robed in a red-belted gown and cloaked with a blue mantle decorated with the golden monograms of Jesus, Virgin Mary and, sometimes, Joseph. Other attributes include a scarf around her neck, rings, earrings and necklaces as an upper class woman. Christ on her lap always grasps his left hand around her right thumb, with a blue background, symbolizing Heaven and heavenly love. Around her head, relating to the rosary, is a set of stars.

 

Our Lady of Light
Invoked for protection against storms, plagues and other natural disasters.
The conventional representation of this apparition of Mary consists of the standing figure of Virgin Mary holding Christ in her left arm and pulling a soul from the mouth of a monster with her right hand. The monster or serpent symbolizes sin and temptation. An angel presents a basket with flaming hearts inside to the Christ Child, probably referring to religious fervor, love, devotion and joy. The most popular representations show Virgin and Child being crowned by two angels and surrounded by clouds and winged angels.

 

 

 

 

 

Our Lady of Guadalupe
Feast Day: December 12
Patroness of the Americas, especially Mexico.
One of the Virgin Mary's most popular apparitions. A number of miracles have been documented in thousands of ex-votos. In 1531 the Virgin Mary appeared to Diego, an Indian, as a young girl and spoke to him. In the two next centuries after the Virgin's apparition, Mexico City was saved miraculously from a flood and a plague epidemic. Images of Guadalupe include the Lady with her hands in prayer, standing over a crescent moon. She wears a red gown with gold brocade and a long blue mantle decorated with blue stars. An angel with outstretched arms appears at her feet holding the hem of the Virgin's gown and mantle. She is often represented against a neutral background symbolizing clouds and the corners are decorated with medallions depicting the scenes of the Virgin's apparition. Often, the corners are decorated with flowers symbolizing the flowers gathered by Diego.