Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary
| Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary | |
|---|---|
Marriage of the Virgin, Saint-Quiriace de Provins
| |
| Observed by | Catholic Church |
| Type | Christian |
| Date | 23 January |
| Next time | 23 January 2027 |
| Duration | one day |
| Frequency | Annual |
The Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary or Marriage of the Virgin Mary is a Christian feast that is celebrated by certain communities within the Catholic Church, such as the Oblates of Saint Joseph. It was formerly generally observed on January 23, but was removed from many local calendars by the Sacred Congregation of Rites.
History
In Matthew 1:16, Joseph is described as the husband of Mary. It is probable that Joseph and Mary were betrothed in Nazareth.[1] The term "betrothal" indicates more than an engagement. It was customary in that time and place to celebrate marriage in two stages, the first being the contractual arrangements culminating in consent or "betrothal". After a period of around one year in which the couple were preparing for conjugal living, the second stage of actually conveying the wife to their new home would be accompanied by a great feast such as the Marriage Feast at Cana recounted in the John 2:1-11.[2]
Feast day
In 1416 Jean Gerson, Chancellor of the University of Paris urged the Council of Constance to establish a feast day honouring the Betrothal of Mary and Joseph, for which he wrote an office.[3]
The first definite knowledge of a feast in honour of the espousals of Mary dates from August 29, 1517, when with nine other Masses in honour of Mary, it was granted by Leo X to the Nuns of the Annunciation, founded by Saint Jeanne de Valois.[4] In certain particular churches the espousals of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph are honoured with an office on January 23.[5] The Oblates of St. Joseph celebrate January 23 as the feast of “The Holy Spouses Mary and Joseph”.[6]
Gaspar Bertoni, founder of the Stigmatines, chose Mary and Joseph, in the context of their espousals, as patrons of the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata.[7]
In art
In art the subject can be covered in several different scenes, and the betrothal of Mary, with Joseph's blossoming rod, is often shown. Wedding processions are also shown, especially in the Early Medieval period. The scene, or scenes, is a common component in larger cycles of the Life of the Virgin and thus very frequently found, especially in the Middle Ages; it is not found in the typical cycle in a Book of hours.
The marriage scene has been painted by, among others, Giotto, Perugino, Raphael, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Bernardo Daddi (now in the Royal Collection), Veronese (in San Polo church, Venice), and Pieter van Lint (1640, Antwerp Cathedral). The subject is depicted in a fresco in the German Chapel at the Shrine of the Holy House in Loretto, Italy;[8] in a sculpture in the left portico of Sagrada Família Basilica in Barcelona, Spain;[9] and in a stained glass window at St. Rita Basilica, Cascia, Italy.[10]
From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia
Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Desponsation Beatae Mariae Virginis), a feast of the Latin Church. It is certain that a real matrimony was contracted by Joseph and Mary. Still Mary is called "espoused" to Joseph ("his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph", Matt., i, 18) because the matrimony was never consummated. The term spouse is applied to married people until their marriage is consummated (Colvenerius, Cal. Marian., January 23). Peter d'Ailly, chancellor of the University of Paris (d. 1420), and his famous disciple, Jean Charlier, called Gerson, were the first energetic propagators of the devotion in honor of St. Joseph. Gerson worked many years to effect the institution of a special votive feast (Thursday of ember week in Advent), the object of which should be the virginal espousal of Mary and Joseph. Gerson's friend, Henry Chicoti, canon of the cathedral chapter of Chartres, had bequeathed a certain sum for the celebration in the cathedral of this votive feast, for which Gerson had composed a proper Office. It seems that Gerson carried out the will of his friend, but tradition does not tell us on what day the feast was celebrated.
The first definite knowledge of a feast in honor of the espousals of Mary dates from August 29, 1517, when with nine other Masses in honor of Mary, it was granted by Leo X to the Nuns of the Annunciation, founded by Sainte Jeanne de Valois. This feast was celebrated on October 22 as a double of the second class. Its Mass, however, honored the Blessed Virgin exclusively; it hardly mentioned St. Joseph and therefore did not correspond to the idea of Gerson. Also purely as a feast of Mary it appears in the Missal of the Franciscans, to whom it was granted August 21, 1537, for March 7 (double major). About the same time the Servites obtained the feast for March 8. The Office of the Nativity of Mary was recited; changing the word Nativitas to Des ponsatio. After the religious orders, among the dioceses which adopted the feast of the Espousals of Mary, Arras takes the lead. It has been kept there since January 23, 1556. The first proper Office was composed by Pierre Doré, O.P. (d. 1569), confessor of Duke Claude of Lorraine. This Office followed the outlines given by Gerson and commemorated both Joseph and Mary. Pierre Doré in 1546 unsuccessfully petitioned Paul III to extend the feast of the Desponsatio B.M.V. to the Universal Church. But even without the recommendation of the Apostolic See, the feast was adopted by many Churches. In Moravia it was in the sixteenth century kept on July 18. In subsequent times Rome did not favor any further extension of the feast, but after it had been refused (1655) to the King of Spain, it was granted to the German Emperor for Austria, January 27, 1678 (January 23); in 1680 it was conceded to Spain, but transferred (July 13, 1682) to November 26, because in Spain the feast of St. Ildephonsus or St. Raymond is kept January 23 In 1680 it was extended to the entire German Empire, 1689 to the Holy Land (double, second class), 1702 to the Cistercians (February 20), 1720 to Tuscany, and 1725 to the Pontifical States. In our days it is kept in nearly the entire Latin Church on January 23, in the Spanish-speaking countries on November 26, but it has never been extended to the Universal Church. Since Pius V abolished the Office of Pierre Doré and introduced the modern Office, it is again a feast of Mary. The commemoration of St. Joseph in Mass, Vespers, Lauds (decree May 5, 1736) can only be made by a special privilege.
References
- Back to citation "Souvay, Charles. "St. Joseph." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 7 Aug. 2013". Archived from the original on 2017-06-27. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- Back to citation ""Background of Betrothal and Divorce", Oblates of St. Joseph". Archived from the original on 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
- Back to citation Black, Charlene Villaseñor (2006). Creating the Cult of St. Joseph: Art and Gender in the Spanish Empire. Princeton University Press.
- Back to citation "Holweck, Frederick. "Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 7 Aug. 2013". Archived from the original on 2011-05-14. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
- Back to citation "Butler, Alban. The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints, Vol. III". Archived from the original on 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
- Back to citation ""A5:Feast of the Espousals", Oblates of St. Joseph". Archived from the original on 2019-10-02. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
- Back to citation ""The Holy Spouses Mary and Joseph, our Patrons", Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata". Archived from the original on 2014-03-28. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
- Back to citation "Seitz, Ludovic. "The Matrimony", Shrine of the Holy House, Loreto, Italy". Archived from the original on 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
- Back to citation "Gaudi, Antoni. "The Betrothal", Holy Family Basilica, Barcelona, Spain". Archived from the original on 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
- Back to citation "Consadori, Silvio. "The Betrothal", St. Rita Basilica, Cascia, Italy". Archived from the original on 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2014-03-26.