Titles of Mary, mother of Jesus


in Christianity, is known by many different titles, epithets, invocations, and several names associated with places.
All of these descriptives refer to the same woman named Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. They are used differently by Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and some Anglicans.
Some descriptives of Mary are properly titles, dogmatic in nature, while some are invocations. Other descriptives are poetic or allegorical or have lesser or no canonical status, but form part of popular piety, with varying degrees of acceptance by Church authorities. Another class of titles refer to depictions of Mary in Catholic Marian art and in art generally. A rich range of Marian titles also are used in musical settings of pieces dedicated to her.

Historical and cultural context

The relatively large number of titles given to Mary may be explained in several ways. Some titles grew due to geographic and cultural reasons, e.g., through the veneration of specific icons. Others were related to Marian apparitions.
Mary's intercession is sought for a large spectrum of human needs in varied situations. This has led to the formulation of many of her titles. Moreover, meditations and devotions on the different aspects of Mary's role in the life of Jesus have led to additional titles, such as Our Lady of Sorrows. Still further titles have been derived from dogmas and doctrines, such as, the Assumption of Mary, Dormition of the Mother of God and Immaculate Conception.
The veneration of Mary was consolidated in the year 431 when, at the Council of Ephesus, the descriptive,, or Mary the bearer of God, was declared a dogma. Thereafter Marian devotion, centred on the subtle and complex relationship between Mary, Jesus, and the Church, began to flourish, first in the East and later in the West.
The Reformation diminished Mary's role in many parts of Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Council of Trent and Counter Reformation intensified Marian devotion among Roman Catholics. Around the same period, Mary became an instrument of evangelisation in the Americas and parts of Asia and Africa, e.g. gaining impetus from reported apparitions at Our Lady of Guadalupe, which resulted in a large number of conversions to Christianity in Mexico.
Following the Reformation, baroque literature on Mary experienced unprecedented growth, with over 500 instances of Mariological writings during the 17th century alone. During the Age of Enlightenment, the emphasis on scientific progress and rationalism put Catholic theology and Mariology often on the defensive later in the 18th century. Books, such as The Glories of Mary by Alphonsus Liguori, were written in defence of the cult of Mary.

Dogmatic titles

  • Mother of God: The Council of Ephesus decreed in 431 that Mary is because her son Jesus is both God and man: one Divine Person with two natures. This name was translated in the West as Mater Dei or Mother of God. From this derives the title "Blessed Mother".
  • Virgin Mary: The doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary developed early in Christianity and was taught by the early Fathers, such as, Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria. In the fourth century "ever-virgin" became a popular title for Mary. Variations on this include the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", and "Spouse of the Holy Spirit". The perpetual virginity of Mary was declared a dogma by the Lateran Council of 649.
  • Immaculate Conception: The dogma that Mary was conceived without original sin was defined in 1854, by Pope Pius IX's apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus. This gave rise to the titles of "Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception" and "Queen Conceived Without Original Sin". The Immaculate Conception is also honored under the titles of Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Caysasay, Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn in Vilnius, Our Lady of Guidance, and Our Lady of Salambao, also in the Philippines.
  • Assumption: The belief that the Virgin Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven upon completing the course of her earthly life was declared a dogma in 1950 by Pope Pius XII in the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus. The titles "Our Lady of Assumption" and "Queen Assumed Into Heaven" derive from this. This dogma is also reflected in devotion to Our Lady of Ta' Pinu on Malta.
In the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches the Assumption of Mary may be celebrated as the Dormition, or the "Falling Asleep" of the Mother of God, it is an important feast day, not based on a scriptural canon but affirmed by tradition.

Early titles of Mary

"Our Lady" is a common title to give to Mary as a sign of respect and honor. In French she is called Notre Dame and in Spanish she is Nuestra Señora.
  • Mary was identified as the "New Eve" at least as early as the later half of the Second Century. Justin Martyr draws the connection in his Dialogue with Trypho. This idea is later expanded by Irenaeus.
  • John Chrysostom, in 345, was the first person to use the Marian title Mary Help of Christians as a devotion to the Virgin Mary. Don Bosco promoted devotion to Mary under this title.
  • Stella Maris or Our Lady, Star of the Sea is an ancient title for the Virgin Mary, used to emphasize her role as a sign of hope and a guiding star for Christians. It is attributed to Jerome and cited by Paschasius Radbertus.
EnglishLatinGreekNotes
"Our Lady"Nostra DominaCommonly used to prefix many Marian titles
"Full of Grace", "Blessed", "Most Blessed", "Blessed Virgin Mary"Gratia plena, Beata, Beatissima, Beatae Mariae Virginis Κεχαριτωμένη from the angel's greeting to Mary in ;
"Virgin", "the Virgin"VirgoΠαρθένος Greek used in ; Ignatius of Antioch refers to Mary's virginity and motherhood ;
"Cause of our Salvation"causa salutisaccording to Irenaeus of Lyons ;
"Mother of God"Mater DeiΜήτηρ Θεοῦ often abbr. ΜΡ ΘΥ in Greek iconography;
"God-bearer"Deipara, Dei genitrixΘεοτόκος lit. "one who gives birth to God"; a common title in Eastern Christianity with christological implications; adopted officially during Council of Ephesus in response to Nestorianism, which questioned the Church's teaching that Jesus Christ's nature was unified;
"Ever-virgin"semper virgoἀειπάρθενος Hippolytus of Rome held Mary to be "all-holy ever-virgin"
"Holy Mary", "Saint Mary"Sancta MariaἉγία Μαρία Greek invocation is infrequent in contemporary Eastern Christianity;
"Most Holy"Sanctissima, tota SanctaΠαναγία Hippolytus held Mary to be "all-holy ever-virgin"
"Most Pure"PurissimaParallels have been drawn between the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Mother. She travels to the hill country of Judea, where John leaps at her approach, Elizabeth cries out and says "Who Am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me", stays in Zechariah's home for three months, blessing it. Afterward she goes to Jerusalem.
"Immaculate"immaculataἀκήρατος The Angel Gabriel calls Mary "Full of Grace". This is taken by many Christians to imply that Mary was free from all sin.
"Lady", "Mistress"DominaΔέσποινα related, "Madonna" ; also, "Notre Dame" ;
"Queen of Heaven"Regina caeli, Regina coeliAs the mother of Jesus, who in mainstream Christianity is God and King of Heaven, multiple Christian denominations give her the title "Queen of Heaven". Mary is identified with the figure in ;
"Queen of all creation"Regina totius creatiThis term is used by Pope Francis in his encyclical letter Laudato si'.

Papal actions

Devotional titles

In the Loreto Litanies Mary's prayers are invoked under more than fifty separate titles, such as "Mother Most Pure", "Virgin Most Prudent", and "Cause of Our Joy".
Other devotional titles include:
  • Ark of the Covenant
  • Comfort of the Afflicted
  • The Divine Infantess
  • Our Lady, Gate of the Dawn
  • Holy Mary
  • Immaculate Heart of Mary
  • Mother of Christ
  • Mother of Mercy
  • Mother of Sorrows
  • Mother for the Journey
  • Mother of the Church
  • Mystical Rose
  • Our Lady of the Annunciation
  • Our Lady of Charity
  • Our Lady of Providence
  • Our Lady of Ransom
  • Our Lady of Solitude
  • Our Lady, Star of the Sea
  • Queen of All Saints
  • Queen of Angels
  • Queen of Apostles
  • Queen of Confessors
  • Queen of Families
  • Queen of Israel
  • Queen of Martyrs
  • Queen of Patriarchs
  • Queen of Prophets
  • Queen of Heaven
  • Queen of Virgins
  • Queen of the World
  • Refuge of Sinners
  • Salus Populi Romani
  • Untier of Knots