Annunciation – Prayers, Poems, and Christian Ponderings

Immensity

I turn today to John Donne (1573-1631) and his poem Annunciation which is the second of seven sonnets under the title La Corona – yes Corona (Crown) a term we lived with for the best part of three years and sadly some continue to live with the mark of the Corona Virus. Donne uses theContinue reading “Immensity”

Lo! faithful Virgin

Madonna and Child possibly 1230s Of solemnly hieratic beauty, this is one of only two works that can be confidently assigned to Berlinghiero, the leading painter in the Tuscan city of Lucca. It follows the Byzantine type known as the Hodegetria (“She who shows the way”), familiar from icons that arrived in Italy following theContinue reading “Lo! faithful Virgin”

La Corona: Annunciation

The photograph above is from The Cathedral of The Immaculate Conception, Wichita, Kansas. Choosing an image, of the story of the angel Gabriel announcing to Mary that she would give birth to God’s son, is quite a challenge (Luke 1:26-38). Some of the greatest artists over many centuries depict this moment only through “western eyes.”Continue reading “La Corona: Annunciation”