Benozzo Gozzoli, 1450-1452
Tempera on wood
Vatican Museum, Rome
Another such goddess was Artemis/Diana of the Greco-Roman world. Cybele, originally from the Near East, was also often viewed as an early version of Mary. Each of these goddesses had a long history of veneration. Complex rituals were performed to celebrate them and numerous temples were built in which to worship them.
Madonna and Child with Stories of the Life of Saint Anne (Bartolini Tondo)
Filippo Lippi, 1452
Tempera on wood, diameter: 135 cm
Pitti Palace Gallery, Florence
During these times the newly established patriarchal societies retained strong matriarchal components that were still firmly embedded within their structure. Women often therefore possessed considerable rights and powers. Consequently, the feminine spiritual powers were celebrated within their religious structures.
“The Death of the Virgin” Book of Hours of Etienne Chevalier
Jean Fouquet, 1452-1460
Illuminated Manuscript
Condé Museum, Chantilly
The divinities of both genders were worshipped within these societies with equal ardour and reverence. A number of these goddesses and gods from the religions of the ancient world later became very popular Christian saints, and many churches were dedicated to them.
The Annunciation
Leonardo da Vinci, c.1470
Oil and tempera on wood, 98 × 217 cm
Uffizi, Florence
Beneath the layers of goddess images and temples created by the artists of the pagan world, there is another, earlier layer of art that was produced by prehistoric men and women to celebrate their Mother God. Early images of the Great Goddess of Neolithic and Paleolithic Europe that survived the test of time, were often carved out of stone.
The Assumption of the Virgin
Matteo di Giovanni, c.1474
Tempera on wood, 331.5 × 174 cm
National Gallery, London
Marija Gimbutas, an archeologist and author of several volumes of texts on the history of prehistoric matriarchal cultures of Europe, describes in detail the societies that produced images of the Mother Goddess. These prehistoric social systems were matriarchal.
The Madonna of the Apocalypse
Jean Hey, 1480-1500
Oil on wood
Moulins’ Cathedral, France
The creator God was visualized in female form since people’s beliefs reflected a social order that was essentially organized and implemented by the women of these cultures.
An abundance of images that represent the oldest religious belief system of humanity has been unearthed and these images can be viewed at major museums around the world.
The Virgin and the Child
Sandro Botticelli, 1480
Painting on wood, 58 × 39.6 cm
Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan
The earliest of these images in Europe is considered to be the Venus or Goddess of Willendorf, and she is dated at around 35,000 BC. These prehistoric icons of the goddess are the most distant ancestors of Mary. Under the strictly patriarchal social order of the last two millennia, the role of the female gender was clearly defined as subservient and less valuable than the role of the male gender.
The Madonna Benois
Leonardo da Vinci, c.1480
Oil on canvas, 49.5 × 31.5 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg
Therefore, it was no longer possible to sustain the belief in a female divinity within the Christian dogma.
Yet the Madonna retained her occult divine status, often apparent through the symbolic messages incorporated into her iconography by the artists who created her icons.
The Annunciation
Lorenzo di Credi, 1480-1485
Oil on wood, 88 × 71 cm
Uffizi, Florence
For the last five centuries, as the Western world expanded its boundaries into the rest of the globe, many new temples dedicated to the Virgin Mary were built directly upon the sites of the old Mother Goddess temples of the indigenous cultures.
The Madonna of the Magnificat
Sandro Botticelli, 1481-1485
Tempera on wood, diameter: 118 cm
Uffizi, Florence
After the conquest of the Americas, countries such as Mexico and Peru made a significant artistic contribution of images dedicated to Mary. Like her European counterparts, these images often depicted the Holy Virgin as the Black Madonna, considered to be miraculous and powerful.
The Adoration of the Child
Francesco Botticini, 1482
Tempera on wood, diameter: 123 cm
Pitti Palace Gallery, Florence
Within the new continent, the Virgin Mary often assumed the role of the former regional mother goddess, and became the patron of the particular region or of an entirely new country. Additional symbols, previously representing the native divinities, were then incorporated into the Marian iconography.
The Virgin of the Rocks
Leonardo da Vinci, 1483
Oil on canvas, 199 × 122 cm
The Louvre, Paris
Consequently, the new populations perceived the Virgin Mary as the Christian Mother of God, and, at the same time, as the indigenous Mother God of the earlier, conquered civilizations. All indications show that the role of the Madonna is still evolving.
The Birth of Venus
Sandro Botticelli, 1484-1486
Tempera on canvas, 172.5 × 278.5 cm
Uffizi, Florence
The lore, the origins, the dogma, the myths and the expanding array of symbols and archetypes continue to surround the enigmatic persona of the Virgin Mary. As a prototype of spirituality and perfection in womanhood, the Madonna looms larger than life.