The Virgin Mary in the Middle Ages

The Virgin Mary in the Middle Ages is quite different that the Virgin Mary in modern times. Like in modern times though, the Virgin Mary holds a significant and reputable place amongst the church. In the play, The Miracle of Theophile, Mary is presented as a strong woman who reclaims Theophile’s deed from the Devil. When Theophile first comes upon Our Lady, she angrily tells him to leave, “I will not hear your hypocrite’s babble. Go! Go! Get out of my chapel!” (188).  Unlike the motherly version of the Virgin Mary that modern viewers have, this representation of Mary is much more forceful and a powerful weapon of God. It gives reason for readers and listeners to fear Mary and to fear for committing a sin in her presence. Her strength is then reaffirmed when she orders the devil to give back the deed. When the devil refuses to present the covenant, the Virgin Mary tramples on the belly of the devil (189) and, essentially, beats him. It is a brutal representation of Mary, but it affirms Mary’s power over evil. 

Our version of the Mary scene when beating the Devil.

Like our modern representation and image of the Virgin Mary, different statues portray her as the caring mother of Jesus. Instead of the fierce representation of Mary presented in the play, in many churches and museums I saw a much kinder portrayal of the Virgin Mary. This representation of Our Lady may be significant to those women during the Middle Ages. In looking for guidance or faith, turning to the Virgin Mary for help would show a much kinder version of love. For example, at The Cluny museum, a statue of Mary struck me. There was a whole row of statues of Mary and baby Jesus, all of which were looking very lovingly on the baby. It was a much different portrayal of Mary than in the play. But this portrayal is significant because it shows the need for motherly kindness during the Medieval ages. It also reveals the similarities between our modern need for Mary’s motherly love to that of the Middle Ages. 

                

   

Connection to the Middle Ages

The place where I felt most connected to the Middle Ages was the small church at Vals. It was a very simple church, built between the rocks. Yet, I was so connected to the spot because I could tell it was so ancient. I could also tell its historical significance and what it actually looked like because it had hardly been touched since its birth.

The paintings inside were very minimal and there was hardly any stained glass. It was just a very small church with a very powerful message. Although I enjoyed most of the other cathedrals with their high arches and beautiful architecture, the Church at Vals was the most impressive to me because of its long history and the story of its creation. Because we only had a short amount of time in the Church before we had to go to lunch, I found more information on the church here: http://www.ariege.com/patrimoine/eglisedevals/info.html

The site claims that there is an argument over what the Church at Vals was used for previously. Some argue that part of the church was used as a habitat, while other archeologists argue that it was used as a religious site before Roman times. The site also claims there are "remains of a 10th century edifice built, with an evident sense of theatre, by the first Christians in the area."

Although the church would have been painted in brilliant colors, some of the coloring still remains in the church. It is beautiful, yet simple work. The religious meaning, although not as extravagant as other churches, is clear upon walking up the steps and viewing the masterful work on the ceilings.

There was a lot of the church that we could explore. The area wasn't as constricted and blocked off as some of the other churches were. In a way, the free range we were given helped me better connect to the area. We were able to walk onto the balcony area and view some of the ruins bellow. It gave me a clear picture of what the area would have looked like in the Middle Ages. Even though there were fences around the areas, one could see how untouched it was and how well-preserved it remained.

The Importance of Beauty, Youth, and Nobility

According to the texts of Erec and Enide, beauty is of high importance during the Middle Ages. For example, the prize for killing the white stag is a kiss from the most beautiful woman. If beauty was not of such high importance, it would not have been revered as an appropriate prize for killing such a mysterious and unique animal.

When Enide is revealed to Erec, her beauty is qualified by symbols and metaphors: "The maiden was very beautiful, for Nature in making her had turned all her attention to the task. Nature herself had marveled more than five hundred times at how she had been able to make such a beautiful thing just once" (42). In Chretien's explanation of Enide he creates a portrait of a not only beautiful woman, but of what beautiful should resemble. He describes Enide with "shining golden hair," "fairer and brighter than the lily-flower," and eyes that "glowed with such brightness that they resembled two stars" (42). Enide then becomes what all Medieval woman should look like: fair, bright-eyed, blonde maidens.

In comparison to some of the other images of women in the Middle Ages, when looking at the Unicorn series in Paris, the woman resembles how Enide is described in the story.

The woman in the tapestries is fair skinned, blonde, and equally bright eyed. In the first tapestry shown, the blonde woman is compared to the other maiden in the scene. Most likely the fair maidens hand-maid, the beauty of the maiden is heightened because she stands taller and more central in the image. She is also shown to have more beautiful gowns which show her wealth and nobility. Much like Erec's concern with Enide's nobility and manners, Enide's background is confirmed as being without "ill-bred." Enide's nobility is confirmed by her father's ownership of armor.

Although beauty if different throughout the world, many of the western ideals of beauty have remained the same. Their is still an emphasis on wealth and family up-bringing. Though there has been some equilibrium between the argument of blondes or brunettes, the idea of a fair, blonde, and younger woman is still highly sought after. Yet it can be argued that the fairness of a person's skin is not as prized in America. Now women decide to tan their skin, rather than show their wealth through the fairness of their skin.