The Seven Joys of the Virgin (or of

Mary, the Mother of Jesus Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

) is a popular devotion to events of the life of the Virgin Mary, arising from a trope of medieval devotional literature and art. The Seven Joys were frequently depicted in medieval devotional literature and art. The seven joys are usually listed as: #

The Annunciation The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Mary ...

# The Nativity of Jesus #

The Adoration of the Magi ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

# The Resurrection of Christ # The Ascension of Christ to Heaven # The Pentecost or Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and Mary # The Coronation of the Virgin in Heaven Alternative choices were made and might include the Visitation and the Finding in the Temple, as in the Seven Joyful Mysteries of the Life of the Ever-Blessed Virgin from St. Vincent's Manual, or the Franciscan Crown form of

Rosary The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the ...

, which uses the Seven Joys, but omits the Ascension and Pentecost. Depiction in art of the

Assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Catholic Mariology#Dogmatic teachings, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of w ...

may replace or be combined with the Coronation, especially from the 15th century onwards; by the 17th century it is the norm. As with other sets of scenes, the different practical implications of depictions in different media such as painting, ivory miniature carving,

liturgical drama Liturgical drama refers to medieval forms of dramatic performance that use stories from the Bible or Christian hagiography. The term has developed historically and is no longer used by most researchers. It was widely disseminated by well-known the ...

and music led to different conventions by medium, as well as other factors such as geography and the influence of different religious orders. There is a matching set of seven Sorrows of the Virgin; both sets influenced the selection of scenes in depictions of the Life of the Virgin. Originally, there were five joys of the Virgin. Later, that number increased to seven, nine, and even fifteen in medieval literature, although seven remained the most common number, and others are rarely found in art. The five joys of Mary are mentioned in the 14th-century poem ''

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ''Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'' is a late 14th-century chivalric romance in Middle English alliterative verse. The author is unknown; the title was given centuries later. It is one of the best-known Arthurian stories, with its plot comb ...

'' as a source of

Gawain Gawain ( ), also known in many other forms and spellings, is a character in Matter of Britain, Arthurian legend, in which he is King Arthur's nephew and one of the premier Knights of the Round Table. The prototype of Gawain is mentioned und ...

's strength. The devotion was especially popular in pre-

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

England. The French writer Antoine de la Sale completed a

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...

called '' Les Quinze Joies de mariage'' ("The Fifteen Joys of Marriage") in about 1462, which partly parodied the form of ("The Fifteen Joys of Our Lady"), a popular

litany Litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Jewish worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions. The word comes through Latin ''wikt:litania, litania'' from Ancient Greek wikt:λιτα ...

The Seven Joys of Our Blessed Lady in Heaven

According to Pelbartus Ladislaus of Temesvár, St. Thomas, while he was reciting his daily 'Hail Mary's in memory of the principal joys of Mary, was "favored with an apparition of the Queen of Heaven." She encouraged him to add seven more 'Hail Mary's in honor of "the seven signal joys she possesses in heaven, and to instill the same devotion into the minds of others." This devotion of the Seven Joys of Our Blessed Lady in Heaven recounts the glories Mary was honored with in heaven after her dormition.

References

{{Virgin Mary Virgin Mary in art Marian devotions

The Seven Joys of Our Blessed Lady in Heaven

See also

References