For Saint Anselm, Christ and Mary shed light on each other

Saint Anselm (1033-1109) was born in Aosta, Italy. He left his country and became a monk, then abbot of the Abbey of Bec, and was later called to become Archbishop of Canterbury. He is a great European figure, known for his deep theology and for his ontological proof of the existence of God.

For him, the Virgin Mary was not simply a theological figure: he loved and venerated her as a real person close to his heart, a maternal and necessary collaborator in our relationship with Christ the redeemer.

In his teaching, Christ and Mary shed light on one another. Saint Anselm's teaching combined dogma and spirituality. He contemplated the mystery of Mary and the Incarnation in the grand perspective of the whole creation. For him Mary and Jesus are inseparable: he loved them both and directed his prayers to both of them together. Saint Anselm offered Mary a very humble prayer, knowing that he was a sinner.

GAMBERO Luigi, Maria nel pensiero dei teologi latini medievali, ed San Paolo, 2000, p. 125-134