Madonna of Humility. Madonna of humility refers to artistic portrayals of the Virgin Mary which depict her as a Madonna sitting on the ground, or sitting upon a low cushion.
She may be holding the Child Jesus in her lap. The term Virgin of humility is also used to refer to this style of depiction.
Upon the election of Pope Francis in 2013, Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev gifted an icon of Our Lady of Humility, which the Roman Pontiff accepted; then donated to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI during their farewell meeting at Castel Gandolfo. Humility was a virtue extolled by Saint Francis of Assisi, and this style of image was associated with Franciscan piety, although it was not the creation of the Franciscans since the artist first associated with the image, Simone Martini, had ties with the Dominicans and may have created the image for them.
The word humility derives from the Latin humus, meaning earth or ground. The earliest known painting of this type dates to 1346 and is at the Museo Nazionale in Palermo, Sicily.
It represents a Madonna seated on a small cushion just above the ground. The Child Jesus that she holds partially looks at the viewer. The painting bears the inscription Nostra Domina de Humiltate,with the low cushion intended to express her humility. This painting in Palermo is, however, of a somewhat mediocre quality and was perhaps based on a work of Simone Martini. A similar pa
She may be holding the Child Jesus in her lap. The term Virgin of humility is also used to refer to this style of depiction.
Upon the election of Pope Francis in 2013, Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev gifted an icon of Our Lady of Humility, which the Roman Pontiff accepted; then donated to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI during their farewell meeting at Castel Gandolfo. Humility was a virtue extolled by Saint Francis of Assisi, and this style of image was associated with Franciscan piety, although it was not the creation of the Franciscans since the artist first associated with the image, Simone Martini, had ties with the Dominicans and may have created the image for them.
The word humility derives from the Latin humus, meaning earth or ground. The earliest known painting of this type dates to 1346 and is at the Museo Nazionale in Palermo, Sicily.
It represents a Madonna seated on a small cushion just above the ground. The Child Jesus that she holds partially looks at the viewer. The painting bears the inscription Nostra Domina de Humiltate,with the low cushion intended to express her humility. This painting in Palermo is, however, of a somewhat mediocre quality and was perhaps based on a work of Simone Martini. A similar pa
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