Flowers of the Annunciation (2024)

Flowers of the Annunciation (1)

Friday March 22, 2019

By Melanie Zebrowski, Library Specialist

The feast of the Annunciation is the pivotal event that signifies the beginning of the Incarnation when the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and told her she would conceive and be the mother of Jesus Christ. Occurring 9 months before Christmas, this feast has been celebrated since the 5th century A.D. and has imaginatively been depicted throughout the history of western art all the way to modern times.

Cincinnati-based artist Holly Schapker was commissioned by the Marian Library to create a collection of works that harmoniously bring together three facets of Marian art: nature, history, and spirituality. Her 24 oil paintings draw upon the symbolism of flowers that pertain to legends about Mary’s life story and mysteries. The title of this piece, The Annunciation to Mary – Lily and Violet, refers to the legend that when the archangel Gabriel appeared, he held a lily in his hand in recognition of Mary’s purity. He told the young virgin that she had “found favor with God” and would conceive and bear a son and give him the name Jesus. Tradition tells that after Mary touched the flower, which had been scentless, an exquisite fragrance arose from it. The violet blossomed outside the Virgin Mary’s window when she spoke the words, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord,” to the angel Gabriel and accepted God’s plan for her.

Holly Schapker invites us even deeper into her painting with this explanation: Christian spirituality invites us to imagine what it would be like to know Mary — or even to be her. It is important to remember that when Mary was speaking to Gabriel, she spoke for all of humanity. This painting pays homage to an Annunciation painting (1445-1450) by High Renaissance Italian painter Fra Filippo Lippi (1406-1469). The palette of this painting shows a wide variety of colors that represent the many emotions Mary must have felt in this moment.

“They speak of the splendor of your majestic glory, tell of your wonderful deeds.” – Psalm 145

Want to see this painting and even more artworks featuring the Annunciation up close? Stop by and visit our exciting retrospective exhibit The Many Faces of the Madonna featuring over 80 artworks from the past 25 years of exhibits in Marian Library gallery!

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Mary in the News: March 18, 2019

Read recent items about Mary in both Catholic and secular news. Also, see International Marian Research Institute as well as Marian Library news and updates.

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Weekly Marian Features: March 25, 2019

This week we continue to present resources for the Annunciation and Lent. Looking for some Lenten music?

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Flowers of the Annunciation (2024)

FAQs

What are the flowers in the Annunciation? ›

The lilies that are often found in Annunciation scenes usually refer to Mary's virginity and spiritual purity. St Bernard of Clairvaux, however, interpeted the lily as a symbol of Christ himself, and this may explain Gabriel's offering the flower to Mary in Domenico Veneziano's panel.

What question does Mary ask at the Annunciation? ›

' Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin?

What did Mary say in response to the angel's message? ›

An acceptance by Mary, after having been fully convinced of the angel Gabriel's message, Mary replied: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; Let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.”

What are the five elements in the Annunciation story? ›

The last of the five Laudable Conditions, Meritatio, followed after the departure of Gabriel, and belongs with representations of the Virgin on her own, the type now called Annunziata; the other four – successively Disquiet, Reflection, Inquiry and Submission – were divisions within the sublime narrative of Mary's ...

What flowers are associated with Jesus? ›

The Passion Flower with its various parts is seen as a symbols of Jesus' scourging, crowning with thorns and crucifixion.

What flower did Jesus talk about? ›

Anemone (Lily of the Field) - anemone coronaria

These are wild field flowers in Palestine and almost certainly the wild anemones that were referred to by Jesus as the lilies of the field in His sermon on the mount, as they still grow wild near the Lake of Galilee.

What are the 4 truths of Mary? ›

The four Marian dogmas of Mother of God, Immaculate Conception, perpetual virginity, and Assumption form the basis of Mariology. However, a number of other Catholic doctrines about the Virgin Mary have been developed by reference to sacred scripture, theological reasoning and church tradition.

How old was Mary when she had Jesus? ›

Her age during her pregnancy has varied up to 17 in apocryphal sources. In a large part, apocryphal texts are historically unreliable. According to ancient Jewish custom, Mary technically could have been betrothed at about 12, but some scholars hold the view that in Judea it typically happened later.

What type of angel was Gabriel? ›

In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Baháʼí Faith), Gabriel (/ˈɡeɪbriəl/ GAY-bree-əl) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind.

What is Jesus' real name? ›

Jesus' name in Hebrew was “Yeshua” which translates to English as Joshua. So how did we get the name “Jesus”? And is “Christ” a last name? Watch the episode to find out!

What virtue was manifested by Mary during the Annunciation? ›

Mary at her Annunciation models faith for us. She shows us that faith is more than assent, but is also trust, commitment, obedience, and submission.

What is the moral lesson of the Annunciation? ›

Through the annunciation of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary teaches us what it means to have faith in God. She believed that what the angel said is true. So, faith is the belief that whatever God says is true and demands our acceptance and obedience.

What does the Annunciation symbolize? ›

The feast of the Annunciation is the pivotal event that signifies the beginning of the Incarnation when the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and told her she would conceive and be the mother of Jesus Christ.

What is the Annunciation short summary? ›

The Annunciation of the Lord refers to the time when the angel Gabriel visited the Blessed Virgin Mary to tell her that she would be the mother of the savior. Mary was the first to hear and believe that God would do what he promised the world.

What does the lily represent in the Annunciation? ›

The title of this piece, The Annunciation to Mary – Lily and Violet, refers to the legend that when the archangel Gabriel appeared, he held a lily in his hand in recognition of Mary's purity. He told the young virgin that she had “found favor with God” and would conceive and bear a son and give him the name Jesus.

What are the symbols of the Annunciation? ›

Scenes of the Annunciation often include the following, which have special meanings: rays of golden light (the Holy Spirit), a lily (purity), and a woman, Mary, in blue (the color of spirituality).

What are the flowers that represent baby Jesus? ›

In the north temperate climatic zones of Europe and the United States one such flower of special significance for Mary Gardeners is the snowdrop or Candlemas Bells, Galanthus nivalis - the first bloom of the new growing season - named for its bloom around the time of Candlemas, the Feast of the Presentation of the ...

What are the white flowers of the Virgin Mary? ›

The Venerable Bede (673-735), Benedictine monk, historian, and scholar, wrote of the white lily as the emblem of the Blessed Virgin; the white petals symbolized the purity of her body and the golden anthers the beauty of her soul.

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