A Coronation Mass is a Eucharistic celebration, in which a special liturgical act, the coronation of an image of Mary, is performed. The coronation of an image of Mary is an act of devotion to her. It expresses the belief that Mary as mother of the Son of God has queenly dignity in the new order of the kingdom of God. At the same time it is the confession of their effective presence in an image of grace. In depictions of Mary together with her divine Son, the

Christ child The Christ Child—also known as Baby Jesus, Infant Jesus, Child Jesus, Divine Child, Divine Infant and the Holy Child—refers to Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ during his early years. The term refers to a period of life of Jesus, Jesus' l ...

is always, and first of all, also crowned. Such coronations, often such of images which are believed miraculous, are practised in the liturgical tradition of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and the Eastern Churches in communion with the Roman Catholic Church, as well as in the tradition of the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

History

The custom of depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary adorned with a crown became common both in the East and in the West since the Council of Ephesus in 431. Christian artists often "portrayed Mary as Queen and Empress seated upon a royal throne adorned with royal insignia, crowned with the royal diadem and surrounded by the host of angels and saints in heaven, and ruling not only over nature and its powers but also over the machinations of Satan." The custom of placing precious crowns on statues of the Virgin Mary stems from popular devotion, was practised by pious religious and laymen, and has spread increasingly since the end of the 16th century. It is related to the offering of an ex voto. As this custom became more and more widespread, in the 17th century a separate ''Ritus servandus in coronatione imaginis Beatae Mariae Virginis'' emerged, which was incorporated into the Roman Pontifical in the 19th century. The

pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

s, "favoring such types of popular devotion", often crowned, either by own hand or through representatives, images of the Mother of God which were already outstanding by reason of public veneration.Pius XII, ''Ad Caeli Reginam'', 1954, 33. In the present, the diocesan bishops decide in agreement with the local congregation whether an image should be solemnly crowned. The coronation of particularly venerated images of supra-regional importance is the responsibility of the pope. He or a cleric on his behest celebrates the coronation, usually in a

Holy Mass The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass "the same Christ ...

or in a Marian

vespers Vespers /ˈvɛspərz/ () is a Christian liturgy, liturgy of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Catholic (both Latin liturgical rites, Latin and Eastern Catholic liturgy, Eastern Catholic liturgical rites), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental O ...

of the

Liturgy of the Hours The Liturgy of the Hours (), Divine Office (), or ''Opus Dei'' ("Work of God") are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the Latin Church. The Liturgy of the Hours forms the official ...

. The coronation can be even renewed, for example on the occasion of an anniversary.

History

References

See also