The Signature Color of the Virgin Mary
Why does Mary wear blue... most of the time?
If nothing else, the Virgin Mary made blue her signature color. Or, I should say, church art made it her color. Art, of course, contains meaning that can be demonstrated in elements such as color, poses, action, expressions, and objects found within the image. So presenting Mary in blue is meant to tell viewers something specific.
Starry Starry Night
Before the medieval era, blue was not among the most popular colors except as a background. Even as images emerged with people wearing clothing of blue hues, the blue background remained symbolic of the skies, the heavens, majesty, and glory. When combined with stars, as seen in the ceiling mosaics in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, Italy (see below), the starry blue points to royalty—and in Christian art, the royalty of heaven.
In the image below, the artist painted the deposition of Jesus (removing his body from the cross). Mary, leaning over her son, wears a deep-blue cloak that also include two stars. The artist wants us to see Mary associated with the divine setting of heaven. She is the Mother of God here.1
Purity and Holiness
In general, the blue of Mary’s cloak has represented the purity befitting her call as a young virgin woman to bear the Son of God. As the “blessed virgin Mary,” her blue cloak reminds viewers that she was a humble servant willing to sacrifice her life to bear God’s Son. She was physically pure when she bore Jesus. Some will also connect the blue to her moral purity (see my earlier post). Blue became associated with Byzantine royalty, and Empress Pulcheria (c 430) was not shy about associating her own virginity and role as queen with the Theotokos, Mother of God.
Mary is found in a seventh-century mosaic in the Chapel of St Venantiu within the Lateran Baptistery in Rome. The apse (ceiling over the altar) is covered in gold tesserae (glass squares) with many figures of saints, popes, and Mary. She stands in the center, underneath the large image of Christ Pantocrator, flanked by Paul and Peter. Her hands are raised, and she wears a dark blue robe that also covers her head. The robe is lined in gold with a white sash, called a pallium, the symbol of ecclesial authority worn by bishops. For more on the scandal of Mary wearing that pallium, read this free book (p 87–88, specifically).
Power and Influence
Look at enough images of Mary and you’ll notice her wardrobe also includes power red. In the images below, which include Renaissance paintings, Russian icons, and medieval mosaics, the artists depict Mary wearing a red garment covered by a blue outer cloak.
And less often, red is her sole color. In Christian art, red is typically associated with the blood of Christ, symbolizing salvation and sacrifice. Mary’s role as the Mother of God is honored as the necessary step that led to the incarnation of Christ, which in turn led to his crucifixion and resurrection. Without Mary’s “Yes,” our salvation would not have come about (at least in the way it did).
Red is also a color of royalty. Some artists wished to emphasize her as the queen mother to our King Jesus. Add some stars (as in the image below), and we have more clues to think of her high status. To array her in red is to remind viewers of her obedience, love, and sacrifice to become Jesus’s mother.
In the image below, the Black Madonna and Child shows Mary in red. According to the Visual Museum of Women in Christianity, this piece was originally titled “Madonna Mesopanditissa,” or peacemaker. The icon was thought to maintain peace between Latin and Greek churches. It was brought to Venice in 1670 in hopes of protection from the plague.
A Colorful and Meaningful Wardrobe
While I’m no art historian, it’s been rewarding to learn about the meanings behind the colors Mary wears in artistic renderings. Her internationally recognized blue shawl symbolizes her humility, purity, and status as Theotokos, the God-Bearer.
If you are an art history major with more details or corrections to offer, please email me! I’d love to learn more.
One reader with Orthodox connections wrote to tell me that the stars often found on Mary’s cloak symbolize her perpetual virginity—three stars indicate her virginity before, during, and after Christ’s birth.