Saint Louis’ Marian century

Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France) was the fruit of a long prayer to the Virgin Mary. His mother, Queen Blanche of Castile, distressed at being childless, met with Saint Dominic in Paris. The latter urged her to take the Virgin Mary as her mediatrix, to recite the rosary and to have it recited by the pious people of the Court. He himself prayed for this intention. And so, on April 25, 1214, the future Louis IX was born. His mother assumed the role of regent until he reached the age of majority. He became king at the age of 12. At the end of her regency, Queen Blanche left her son a pacified kingdom.

Saint Louis was such a great king that the 13th century was named after him, and often referred to as "the century of Saint Louis". In the 40 years or so of his reign (1234-1270), he made France the heart of Christendom, and inspired the spread of medieval art, imitated abroad and dubbed “French style”.

He thus fulfilled the dream of his mother, Blanche of Castile, who had prayed to the Virgin Mary for a long time to give her a son whose virtues would make him worthy of wearing the crown of King of France. His father, Louis VIII, nicknamed “The Lion”, was also a great devotee of the Virgin. In his will, he asked that his crown and jewels be sold to build a monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary, a wish that was carried out by his wife.

The century of Saint Louis was therefore a Marian century. The great devotion of St. Louis and his family to the Virgin Mary, but also the influence of the Dominicans and Franciscans, who advised Louis IX in his faith, led to the evolution of the image of the Virgin Mary and Mariology: in this hierarchical society, Mary assumed a higher rank than before: she was now portrayed in the glory of heaven, reigning with Christ.

For this reason, the glory of Mary took precedence over her humility: she was honored more as Queen than as servant. She was also celebrated as the Mother of Christ and men. The figure of Eve receded before that of Mary, the New Eve, and the weight of guilt was lifted by the hope of salvation, a hope reflected in Gothic art, architecture and the arts as a whole, and embodied in representations of the Virgin Mary.

Louis IX, who was canonized in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII, was a deeply religious knight-king.

Adapted from : Isabelle Rolland

blog.gingko-editions.fr