Mary | |
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Depicted in stained glass. St. James' Church, Glenbeigh, County Kerry, Ireland
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Born | September 8 (traditional; Nativity of Mary) c. 18 BC |
Home town |
Tzippori Nazareth Galilee |
Spouse(s) | Joseph |
Children |
Jesus (according to Bible) James, Joseph, Juda, Simon, Daughters (according to Helvidius) |
Parent(s) | Joachim and Anne (according to apocryphal gospels) |
Blessed Virgin Mary | |
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The Virgin in Prayer, by Sassoferrato, c. 1650
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Western Christianity: Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, Mother of the Church (see Titles of Mary) Eastern Christianity: Theotokos Islam: Sayyidatna ("Our Lady"), Greatest Woman, the Chosen One, the Purified One |
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Honored in | Christianity, Islam |
Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
Major shrine | Santa Maria Maggiore (See Marian shrines) |
Feast | See Marian feast days |
Attributes | Blue mantle, crown of 12 stars, pregnant woman, roses, woman with child, woman trampling serpent, crescent moon, woman clothed with the sun, heart pierced by sword, rosary beads |
Patronage | See Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary |
Mary (Greek: Μαρία, translit. María; Aramaic: ܡܪܝܡ, translit. Mariam; Hebrew: מִרְיָם, translit. Miriam; Arabic: مريم, translit. Mariam), also known by various titles, styles and honorifics, was a 1st-century Galilean Jewish woman of Nazareth, and the mother of Jesus, according to the New Testament and the Quran.
The gospels of Matthew and Luke in the New Testament and the Quran describe Mary as a virgin (Greek: παρθένος, translit. parthénos) and Christians believe that she conceived her son while a virgin by the Holy Spirit. The miraculous birth took place when she was already betrothed to Joseph and was awaiting the concluding rite of marriage, the formal home-taking ceremony. She married Joseph and accompanied him to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born.