Advent Calendar 2021

Stone with polychromy, made in France during the late 15th-century. Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA, 09.SP.83. To view a zoomable version on Google Arts & Culture, **click on the image**.

3. Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth

According to the Gospel of Luke (1:39–56), after the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus, the Son of God, she traveled to visit her cousin Elizabeth. This event is commonly called the Visitation. In this 15th-century sculpture group from France, Mary (left), who is pregnant with Jesus, holds a rosary, a set of prayer beads often seen in medieval art. Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist, touches her cousin’s womb. According to Luke, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary she was filled with the Holy Spirit, and proclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (1:42). This sculptural group may have been made for a private chapel dedicated to either Saint Elizabeth or Saint John the Baptist.

Visit us at Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar.