The Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary or Marriage of the Virgin Mary is a Christian

feast A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes i ...

is celebrated by certain parts of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

such as the

Oblates of Saint Joseph , abbreviation = OSJ , founded = , founder = Bishop Joseph Marello , founding_location = Asti, Italy , headquarters = Rome, Italy , type = Clerical Religious Congregation , num_members ...

. It was formerly generally observed on January 23, but was removed from many local calendars by the

Sacred Congregation of Rites The Sacred Congregation of Rites was a congregation of the Roman Curia, erected on 22 January 1588 by Pope Sixtus V by '' Immensa Aeterni Dei''; it had its functions reassigned by Pope Paul VI on 8 May 1969. The Congregation was charged with the ...

History

In Matthew 1:16,

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

is described as the husband of

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

. It is probable that Joseph and Mary were

betrothed An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

in Nazareth.Souvay, Charles. "St. Joseph." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 7 Aug. 2013
/ref> The term "betrothal" indicates more than an engagement. It was customary in that time and place to celebrate marriage in two stages, the first being the contractual arrangements culminating in consent or "betrothal". After a period of around one year in which the couple were preparing for conjugal living, the second stage of actually conveying the wife to their new home would be accompanied by a great feast such as the Marriage Feast at Cana recounted in the

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

2:1-11."Background of Betrothal and Divorce", Oblates of St. Joseph
/ref>

Feast day

The first definite knowledge of a feast in honour of the espousals of Mary dates from August 29, 1517, when with nine other Masses in honour of Mary, it was granted by Leo X to the Nuns of the Annunciation, founded by Saint Jeanne de Valois.Holweck, Frederick. "Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 7 Aug. 2013
/ref> In certain particular churches the espousals of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph are honoured with an office on January 23. The Oblates of St. Joseph celebrate January 23 as the feast of “The Holy Spouses Mary and Joseph”. Gaspar Bertoni, founder of the

Stigmatines The Stigmatines officially named the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata ( la, Congregatio a Sanctus Stigmatibus) is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men (Priests and Brothers). The Stigmatine Congregation was fo ...

, chose Mary and Joseph, in the context of their espousals, as patrons of the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata.

In art

In art the subject can be covered in several different scenes, and the betrothal of Mary, with Joseph's blossoming rod, is often shown. Wedding processions are also shown, especially in the

Early Medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

period. The scene, or scenes, is a common component in larger cycles of the ''

Life of the Virgin The Life of the Virgin, showing narrative scenes from the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is a common subject for pictorial cycles in Christian art, often complementing, or forming part of, a cycle on the Life of Christ. In both cases the ...

'' and thus very frequently found, especially in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

; it is not found in the typical cycle in a Book of hours. The marriage scene has been painted by, among others, Giotto,

Perugino Pietro Perugino (, ; – 1523), born Pietro Vannucci, was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael was his most famous pupil. Ea ...

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual a ...

, Domenico Ghirlandaio (1485–90, at the

Tornabuoni Chapel The Tornabuoni Chapel (Italian: ''Cappella Tornabuoni'') is the main chapel (or chancel) in the church of Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy. It is famous for the extensive and well-preserved fresco cycle on its walls, one of the most complete i ...

), Bernardo Daddi (now in the Royal Collection), Veronese (in

San Polo San Polo ( vec, San Poło) is the smallest and most central of the six sestieri of Venice, northern Italy, covering 86 acres (35 hectares) along the Grand Canal. It is one of the oldest parts of the city, having been settled before ...

church,

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

), and

Pieter van Lint Pieter van Lint or Peter van Lint (1609–1690) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and designer of tapestries. He excelled in history paintings, genre scenes and portraits in the Flemish Baroque style with some Classisizing influence. He work ...

(1640, Antwerp Cathedral). The subject is depicted in a fresco in the German Chapel at the

Shrine of the Holy House The Basilica della Santa Casa ( en, Basilica of the Holy House) is a Marian shrine in Loreto, in the Marches, Italy. The basilica is known for enshrining the house in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed by some Catholics to have lived. Pi ...

in Loretto, Italy; in a sculpture in the left portico of

Sagrada Família The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, shortened as the Sagrada Família, is an unfinished church in the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. Designed by ...

Basilica in Barcelona, Spain; and in a stained glass window at St. Rita Basilica, Cascia, Italy.Consadori, Silvio. "The Betrothal", St. Rita Basilica, Cascia, Italy
/ref> File:Giotto di Bondone - No. 11 Scenes from the Life of the Virgin - 5. Marriage of the Virgin - WGA09183.jpg,

Giotto Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto ( , ) and Latinised as Giottus, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the Gothic/ Proto-Renaissance period. G ...

, c 1305 File:Domenico Ghirlandaio - Marriage of Mary - WGA8838.jpg, Domenico Ghirlandaio (1485–90, at the

) File:Casamento - perugino1.jpg, by Perugino File:MarriageVirgin.jpg, by Raphael File:Rosso fiorentino, sposalizio della vergine, s. lorenzo.jpg, Betrothal of the Virgin,

Rosso Fiorentino Giovanni Battista di Jacopo (8 March 1495 in Gregorian style, or 1494 according to the calculation of times in Florence where the year began on 25 March – 14 November 1540), known as Rosso Fiorentino (meaning "Red Florentine" in Italian) ...

, 1523

References

External links

Aquinas, Thomas. "Summa Theologica III q29. Of the espousals of the Mother of God"

Sansonvino, Andrea. "The Wedding", marble sculpture, Loretto, Italy, (1526)
{{Virgin Mary Mary, mother of Jesus Catholic devotions

Saint Joseph (husband of Mary) Saints days Catholic holy days Catholic liturgy January observances