As early as late first or early second century, the very first depiction of Mary has been recovered. The location of these ancient images of Mary are along the walls of the Catacomb of Priscilla in Rome, Italy (Dictionary: Marian Art). Mary, in early Christian art, was illustrated in three manners: a mother, an empress, or someone in prayer. Images such that depicted Mary as a being of great status conformed the people into placing her above secular rulers (Madonna, Religious). For Christians, these images provide insight on how Mary tops the list of intercessors; through her, we can obtain a better relationship with Jesus. Debates began taking place in the Church, and The Council of Ephesus in 431 C.E. made a decision which boosted her status (Madonna, …show more content…
As I stated earlier, the Council of Ephesus declared her to “God-bearer” ,and we know this from the words Gabriel spoke to Mary in the Gospel of Luke (Madonna, Religious). The depiction of this dogma, described above, requires less thought to dissect. However, each dogma after the next becomes harder to comprehend and illustrate.
The second Marian dogma is Mary’s Perpetual Virginity. This teaching refers to Mary being ever-virgin even after the birth of Christ. The most common representation of this dogma would be the nativity scene or the annunciation, when the angel Gabriel visits her. The two remaining dogmas focus on the picture Mary presents as a perfect soul.
Third on the list of Marian dogmas is The Immaculate Conception. A basic definition would refer to Mary being born without original sin. During the sixteenth-eighteenth centuries, emblems were a huge form of declaring Mary’s graceful attributes (The Iconography of the Assumption East and West). The Miraculous Medal bracelet I wear around my wrist almost everyday represents the medal of The Immaculate Conception. A few details of the art piece are, on the front, Mary stands on the globe with a serpent below her feet. On the flip side, stands a M with a cross through it and two hearts. One heart has a sword pierced through it which represents Mary, and the other heart has a crown of thorns it which embodies Christ. Each dogma has bits in pieces present in all four dogmas.