Giotto was an Italian painter and
architect from Florence
who flourished during the late 13th century to the mid 14th
century. He is often considered to be one of the first great artists of the
Italian Renaissance.
The Nuptials of the Virgin is one
of a series of frescos completed in 1305 for the Scrovegni Chapel, a church in Padua,
Italy. The
cycle of paintings focuses on events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This painting portrays the marriage of
Blessed Mother to Saint Joseph,
an event that must have taken place but which is not recounted in the Gospels.
The Virgin Mary stands prominently beneath an arch while St. Joseph slips a ring upon her finger. Joseph
holds a lily with a dove above it, both of which symbolize purity. A Jewish
priest witnesses the marriage while behind Mary stands an old man and his wife
who perhaps are Mary’s parents Joachim and Ann or her cousin Elizabeth with
Zachariah. To the far left is a crowd of young men looking on, while behind St. Joseph a mysterious
man, or perhaps an angel in disguise, raises his hand in blessing.
The feast of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, is this Tuesday, March 19th. St. Joseph, pray for us!
