From Eve to Mary: discovering the Virgin in Scripture
Since many Catholic churches in Great Britain are dedicated to Our Lady, images of her often grace their walls, windows, and altars. After Christ, she is the most commonly pictured subject in church art. Many Catholic churches also include a special space dedicated to the Virgin, called a Lady Chapel. These are specific areas for prayer and devotion to Our Lady.
Lady Chapels usually feature a statue or image of the Virgin Mary and a dedicated altar. They are often decorated in blue (the traditional colour of Our Lady), as well as with images from her life. These may be stained glass windows, reredos scenes, or murals. Sometimes, Old Testament women who are considered symbols of the Virgin are also pictured.
Notable examples of Lady Chapels within Catholic churches that are decorated in this way include:
1. St Mary’s, Derby
2. St Mary of the Angels, Notting Hill
3. St Mary’s, Clapham
4. St Mary’s, Ryde
5. Downside Abbey, Somerset
Across the United Kingdom, there are also numerous shrines dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This includes Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk, Our Lady and the Martyrs near Preston, and Our Lady of the Taper in Cardigan. These often feature a special statue of the Virgin, as a focus for devotion.
Let’s look now at the biblical story of the Virgin Mary, as told through images found within churches across the country.
Prophecies of the Virgin
“All this took place in order to fulfil what the Lord had announced through the prophet: ‘Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.’ “ (Matthew 1:22-23)
The Church teaches that the Virgin Mary was always a key aspect of God’s eternal plan for our salvation. As such, along with her Son, she was foretold in the Old Testament.
In Lumen Gentium, one of the key texts of the Second Vatican Council, we read: “The books of the Old Testament describe the history of salvation, by which the coming of Christ into the world was slowly prepared. These earliest documents, as they are read in the Church and are understood in the light of a further and full revelation, bring the figure of the woman, Mother of the Redeemer, into a gradually clearer light. When it is looked at in this way, she is already prophetically foreshadowed in the promise of victory over the serpent which was given to our first parents after their fall into sin.”
The document goes on: “Likewise she is the Virgin who shall conceive and bear a son, whose name will be called Emmanuel. She stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord, who confidently hope for and receive salvation from Him. With her the exalted Daughter of Sion, and after a long expectation of the promise, the times are fulfilled and the new Economy established, when the Son of God took a human nature from her, that He might in the mysteries of His flesh free man from sin.” (Lumen Gentium, 55)
Here are some examples of the prophetic passages that are traditionally understood to cryptically refer to Our Lady, as pictured in church art:
Counterparts of the Virgin
“All things come in pairs, one the counterpart of the other; he has made none of them imperfect. Each complements the good qualities of the other. Who could ever grow weary of gazing at their splendor?” (Sirach 42:24-25)
The Old Testament is full of signs and symbols. This is especially in the case with the use of types — people or events in the Old Testament that are signs and symbols of things to come (Zechariah 3:8).
For example, St Paul specifically described Adam as a counterpart of Christ, saying that he was “a type of the one who was to come.” (Romans 5:14). Other Old Testament figures such as Melchizedek, Moses, and King David are also described as foreshadowing Christ in various ways.
These symbolic linkages are not limited to Jesus alone. For instance, St Peter explains that Noah’s Ark is a type of baptism (1 Peter 3:21). Likewise, Christ paired St John the Baptist with the Prophet Elijah, saying, “And if you are willing to accept it, John is the Elijah who was destined to return.” (Matthew 11:14)
In a similar way, the Virgin Mary also has counterparts in the Old Testament — women whose lives, virtues, and roles anticipated hers.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “Throughout the Old Covenant the mission of many holy women prepared for that of Mary. At the very beginning there was Eve; despite her disobedience, she receives the promise of a posterity that will be victorious over the evil one, as well as the promise that she will be the mother of all the living. By virtue of this promise, Sarah conceives a son in spite of her old age.”
It continues: “Against all human expectation God chooses those who were considered powerless and weak to show forth his faithfulness to his promises: Hannah, the mother of Samuel; Deborah; Ruth; Judith and Esther; and many other women. Mary stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord, who confidently hope for and receive salvation from him. After a long period of waiting the times are fulfilled in her, the exalted Daughter of Sion, and the new plan of salvation is established” (CCC 489).
These women each illuminate an aspect of Mary’s mission: as mother, intercessor, heroine, queen, and bearer of divine promise. Their presence in church art is not accidental – they are included precisely because of their spiritual and symbolic connection with Our Lady. Through them, the Old Testament tells the story of the important role of women in God’s plan – and points towards the coming of the Virgin Mary.
Here are ten examples of Old Testament women, who are pictured in church art as counterparts of the Virgin:
2. Sarah, the miraculous mother
3. Rachel, the shepherdess and mother
5. Deborah, the judge and leader
6. Ruth, the mother of Bethlehem
8. Bathsheba, the queen mother
10. Judith, the faithful heroine
The Life of the Virgin
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant; henceforth all generations will call me blessed.” (Luke 1:46-48)
The New Testament doesn’t give us a full account of the life of the Virgin, but it paints a portrait of key moments in her life as a wife, a mother and a disciple. Many of these stories are included in the Mysteries of the Rosary. Indeed, turning the pages of the gospels, we find the Virgin Mary at each great turning point in the story of Christianity.
As Pope St John Paul II put it: “From the moment of the Annunciation and conception, from the moment of his birth in the stable at Bethlehem, Mary followed Jesus step by step in her maternal pilgrimage of faith. She followed him during the years of his hidden life at Nazareth; she followed him also during the time after he left home, when he began “to do and to teach” (cf. Acts 1:1) in the midst of Israel. Above all she followed him in the tragic experience of Golgotha. Now, while Mary was with the Apostles in the Upper Room in Jerusalem at the dawn of the Church, her faith, born from the words of the Annunciation, found confirmation.” (Redemptoris Mater, 26)
Here are a dozen works of art that tell the story of the life of Virgin Mary, and reveal more of her role in bringing Christ to the world:
3. The Nativity
8. Christ turns water into wine
9. Christ unites the Virgin and St John
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