Heraldic Commentary Update 2

H ISTORY OF THE EMBLEM OF THE M ARIAN F ATHERS All available images of the Marian emblem show an up- right figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary, clad in a dress and a cape, without the Infant. Older images depict Mary in slight but expressive motion, emphasized by the Baroque-styled swing of Mary’s attire. Later images have a tendency toward stillness. The majority of images showMary’s head covered with a man- tle and surrounded with stars. Only a few seals from the begin- ning of the 20 th century skip the stars. The number of stars varies: on older seals, paintings, and medallions we find any- where from 8 to 12 stars, the latter being the most common. Ten stars appear certainly in reference to the Rule of Ten Virtues of the B.V.M., upon which the Marians have been making their re- ligious vows for 210 years. The presently accepted number of stars is 12, referring to the description of the Woman in the Revelation. The greater part of the old images shows Mary holding a lily in her right hand (in heraldic terms, that is from the side of the one holding the coat of arms). Her right bare foot is crushing a serpent. Mary is standing on a crescent, surrounded by rays. On many images the surrounding rays are shaped as an oval radiant aureole either inside or outside. Only on rare occasions does the crescent on which the Mother of God stands rest on a symbolic globe. Depiction of Mary as standing on a crescent surrounded by stars and symbolically crushing the serpent’s head refers to the Proto-evangelium (Gen 3:15) and to the Revelation to John (Rev 14). This symbolism is particularly important for Chris- tians because it foretells, at the beginning and the end of the Bible, the coming of the Redeemer, the battle between the ser- pent and the Woman , and the final victory of her Son. Additional Marian symbolism is given by the halo of 12 stars, the number of which also refers to the apocalyptic vision of theApostle and Evangelist. In Christian iconography, the cres- cent mentioned in the vision of St. John is often combined with 22