Heraldic Commentary Update 2

either an entire or a half-figure of the Immaculate Mary. Begin- ning with the 17 th century, this symbol gained an additional in- terpretation as a sign of victory of the Christianity over Islam. The lily, which Mary holds in her hand in the majority of em- blems, is a general and traditional Marian symbol of purity and virginity. We do not know the colors of the Marian coat of arms from past centuries. Images associated with the Order, especially the oil paintings displaying the Immaculate Mary in the manner similar to the one used in the emblem, use in great majority the typical colors of modern-day Marian iconography – white and blue clothes. The coat of arms in official use from 1999 also has colors symbolically related to Mary. Blue and white (which is equal to silver in heraldry) are dominant. N EW DESIGN OF THE M ARIAN F ATHERS ’ COAT OF ARMS The new design of the coat of arms, corresponding with the description from the Declaration of the Congregation’s General Chapter of 1999, was created on the base of thorough analysis of the old images and the application of the rules of heraldry. When creating the crest I depicted Mary in a manner more expressive than usual. That decision goes back to the origins of the Order and was based on one of the oldest Marian seals from mid-17 th century, on the medallion from the chaplet of the Ten Virtues of the B.V.M. and on a beautiful medal commissioned by the Marian Fathers for the 150 th Anniversary of the procla- mation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Most B.V.M . Excessive lack of motion in Mary’s form seemed to be inappropriate for such a dramatic and important moment as the crushing of the serpent’s head. Besides, this manner of styling Mary’s figure also alludes to the time of creation of the Order or the Baroque period. The Baroque “curve” of Mary’s body is 23