Immaculate Conception

The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. This idea was debated by medieval theologians and was not officially defined as a dogma until 1854, when Pope Pius IX declared it in the papal bull Ineffabilis Deus.

While the Immaculate Conception talks about Mary being free from original sin, an earlier meeting of church leaders called the Council of Trent had said she was free from personal sin, though not as an official church rule.

Both the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Latin Church fully accept this teaching. The idea of the Immaculate Conception became popular in stories and books, but because it is hard to show, it took time to appear in paintings. In art, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is often shown as Mary standing with her arms out or hands together in prayer. The special day to celebrate the Immaculate Conception is December 8.

Many Protestant churches do not accept this teaching, seeing it as not being in the Bible, though some Anglicans honor it as a pious devotion. The Eastern Orthodox Church does not accept the doctrine. Among the Oriental Orthodox churches, some leaders opposed it, while others accept it.

History

Anne, mother of Mary, and original sin

Main article: Original sin

Anne, the mother of Mary, is first mentioned in an old story from the 2nd century. In this story, Anne and her husband, Joachim, could not have children, but God answered their prayers and Mary was born. The story says Mary was conceived without Anne and Joachim being together in a way that would normally lead to a baby, showing how special Mary was thought to be. This idea, however, did not say Mary was free from original sin.

Church Fathers

Early church leaders thought of Mary as a new version of Eve, the first woman in the Bible. They believed Mary was pure and free from sin, just as Eve was before she made a mistake. Some leaders said Mary was kept safe from sin by God's help.

Medieval formulation

By the 4th century, many people believed Mary was free from sin, but they wondered if she was also free from the sin that came from Adam. This question became important when people began to celebrate a special day for when Mary was born in the 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, there was a big debate about this idea. Some church leaders supported it, while others did not. In 1439, a church meeting said this belief was okay, and in 1571, a special book of prayers included a celebration for this idea on December 8.

Popular devotion and Ineffabilis Deus

The belief that Mary was free from sin became very popular, especially in art and stories. In 1830, a woman in France named Catherine Labouré saw a vision of Mary, which led to a special medal being made. In 1854, Pope Pius IX officially declared that Mary was free from sin from the moment she was conceived. This declaration was supported by many church leaders.

Feast, patronages and disputes

Main articles: Feast of the Immaculate Conception and Patronages of the Immaculate Conception

The feast day of the Immaculate Conception is December 8. This special day is celebrated in the Roman Missal and the Roman Rite Liturgy of the Hours as part of the feast of the Immaculate Conception. People have been celebrating this day since the 7th century, first in the Eastern church and later in places like Ireland and England.

Over time, some people argued against this idea, calling it wrong or heretical. Important church leaders like Bernard of Clairvaux and Vincenzo Bandello spoke out against it. But in 1477, Pope Sixtus IV added the feast to the church's official list of celebrations. Later popes, like Pope Pius V, Gregory XV, and Urban VIII, continued to support this celebration in different ways. Finally, in 1854, Pope Pius IX made the belief about Mary’s pure beginning an official teaching of the church.

Prayers and hymns

The Roman Rite includes special prayers and songs to honor the idea that Mary was free from sin from the very beginning. One example is a beautiful song that says, "You are all beautiful, Mary, and the original stain of sin is not in you." Many famous musicians have created beautiful music based on this song.

There are also special prayers that people say to honor Mary as the one who was conceived without sin. One of these is called the Immaculata prayer, made by Maximillian Kolbe. People sometimes say a series of nine prayers over nine days, called a novena, to honor this idea.

A special hymn called Ave Maris Stella is sung in the evening to celebrate this feast. Another popular hymn is Immaculate Mary, which is often linked with the place Lourdes.

The Loreto Litanies include a title for Mary given by a pope, which means "Queen conceived without original sin." This title was allowed for some areas many years before the idea was officially taught by the Church.

Artistic representation

Main article: Marian art in the Catholic Church

The idea of the Immaculate Conception became a popular topic in stories, but because it is abstract, it took time to appear in paintings. During the Middle Ages, it was shown as "Joachim and Anne Meeting at the Golden Gate", meaning Mary's conception through the pure kiss of her parents at the Golden Gate in Jerusalem. The 14th and 15th centuries were the most popular time for this scene, after which it was slowly replaced by more symbolic paintings showing an older Mary.

The clear way to paint "Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception" was set by the artist and writer Francisco Pacheco in his book "El arte de la pintura" from 1649. He described a beautiful young girl of 12 or 13, wearing a white tunic and blue mantle, with light shining from her head surrounded by twelve stars and crowned with an imperial crown, the Sun behind her and the Moon under her feet. Pacheco's idea influenced other Spanish artists or artists working in Spain such as El Greco, Bartolomé Murillo, Diego Velázquez, and Francisco Zurbarán, who each created wonderful paintings using these same symbols. This special way of painting The Immaculate Conception became popular across the rest of Europe, and it is still the best-known artistic picture of the idea: in a heavenly place, just after she was created, the spirit of Mary (shown as a young woman) looks up in wonder at (or bows her head to) God. The Moon is under her feet and a halo of twelve stars surrounds her head, possibly a reference to "a woman clothed with the sun" from Revelation 12:1–2. Extra pictures may include clouds, a golden light, and putti. In some paintings the putti are holding lilies and roses, flowers often linked with Mary.

Other denominations

Further information: Sinlessness of Mary

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Churches believe that the Virgin Mary was free from original sin from the moment she was conceived. They celebrate this belief on August 13.

Eastern Orthodoxy does not accept the Catholic Church’s teaching about the Immaculate Conception, though it still honors Mary’s purity.

In the 1800s, some Catholics who disagreed with the idea of papal infallibility formed the Old Catholic Church. They do not accept the teaching about the Immaculate Conception.

Most Protestants rejected this teaching when it was announced, feeling it was not supported by the Bible. They believe that Mary, like all people, needed salvation through God’s grace. Discussions between Catholic and Protestant groups, such as the Catholic–Lutheran dialogue and the Anglican–Roman Catholic International Commission, continue to show differences in beliefs about Mary.