Our Lady of Sorrows Sancta Mater Dolorosa |
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Seven Swords Piercing the Sorrowful Heart of Mary in the Church of the Holy Cross, Salamanca, Spain.
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Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
Feast | 15 September Friday before Good Friday |
Attributes | Blessed Virgin Mary in mournful state, tears, bleeding heart pierced by seven daggers |
Patronage | Slovakia, Poland, Malta, Seven Sorrows of Mary, Mississippi, Ronda, Cebu, Tanawan Bustos, Bulacan |
Our Lady of Sorrows (Latin: Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows (Latin: Mater Dolorosa), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names by which the Virgin Mary is referred to in relation to sorrows in her life. As Mater Dolorosa, it is also a key subject for Marian art in the Catholic Church.
The Seven Sorrows of Mary are a popular Roman Catholic devotion. In common religious Catholic imagery, the Virgin Mary is portrayed in a sorrowful and lacrimating affect, with seven long knives or daggers piercing her heart, often bleeding. Devotional prayers that consist of meditation began to elaborate on her Seven Sorrows based on the prophecy of Simeon. Common examples of piety under this title are Servite rosary, or the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady and the Seven Joys of Mary and more recently, "Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary".
The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is liturgically celebrated every 15 September, while a feast of Friday of Sorrows is observed in some Catholic countries.
The Seven Sorrows (or ) are events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary that are a popular devotion and are frequently depicted in art.
These Seven Sorrows should not be confused with the five Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.
It is a common practice for Catholics to say daily one Our Father and seven Hail Marys for each.