Agora Lecture – Miri Rubin: Learning to Love: the Virgin Mary in European Culture
October 23, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Miri Rubin is the Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History in Queen Mary, University of London. Her Agora lecture will explore – with images, texts and music – the heritage of love developed by Europeans over centuries around the most iconic female figure: the Virgin Mary. At once mother, bride, daughter, and patron, the Virgin Mary allowed Europeans to express ideas about secular love and religious devotion, love of family and loyalty to lineage. They did so in the many styles and languages of Europe, ranging from the golden icons of Siena to the parish wall-paintings of Hattula. Europeans learned to express love – intimately as well publicly – as they learned about the Virgin Mary, and considered her delight in motherhood and herlament in bereavement. This heritage is alive in Europe and beyond, in a world largely secular, yet touched by these historic lessons of love, both sacred and profane.
