The Cult of the Virgin. - Offerings, Ornaments and Festivals

Our Lady of Lourdes, La Macarena of Seville, Mexico's Virgin of Guadalupe, the black Virgin of Czestochowa - the many different faces of the Virgin Mary are to be seen in almost every part of the world, particularly in the Mediterranean lands and Latin America. Richly robed and decked with gold and jewels, many of which are votive offerings, the images of the Virgin sustain and reflect popular fervour at its most intense, with a pathos and a splendour that sometimes border on kitsch.
This is perhaps because Mary is essentially a symbol of maternity, heiress of innumerable mother-goddesses from Isis to Cybele, and the channel of deeply felt hopes and prayers. The Virgin is a dazzling icon, frequently escaping from the Church's strict constraints. She is a symbol of faith and hope, but also of beauty and celebration, a central figure in the lives of millions. All who turn this book's pages, whether they are believers or nonbelievers, will be surprised and enchanted.