Queen of Peace, Artistic Depictions

Q: Can you provide information about the title Our Lady of Peace and any artist depictions of this title?

A: The title of Our Lady of Peace is not too well defined. It appears normally as Queen of Peace for which the Church has a special Mass, Missa Beata Maria Virgo Regina Pacis, where you find various reasons why Mary is called Queen of Peace. She is mother of the "Prince of Peace" (Introit) who reconciled heaven and earth (Communio). She was standing at the foot of the cross where Christ merited peace for the whole world. At Pentecost Mary prayed for the Spirit of peace (Preface). She is our intercessor with God to obtain the spirit of love, unity and reconciliation (Collect, Communio). Mary is the Immaculate Conception, a person at peace with herself and with God. There are many papal encyclicals asking Mary to intercede for peace. The Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1990 English version) contains a Mass (for ordinary times) devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace.

In 1917 Pope Benedict XV added the advocation "Queen of Peace" to the Litany of Loreto. The peace of the world is a special theme at Fatima, and again in Medjugorje. It had an impact on such movements as the Blue Army and various Rosary movements. This is one of the reasons why Our Lady of Peace is sometimes represented as Our Lady of Fatima or Our Lady of Medjugorje. Our Lady of Peace is the patroness of El Salvador.

Sr. Evangeline Doyle, O.P., has done artwork on this theme (Mary Queen of Peace, Sycamore). Daniel Thomas Paulos has a beautiful papercut Madonna he calls Mother of Peace. There are various possibilities to innovate. Probably the most appropriate would be to represent Mary with a dove in her hand.

Reine de la paix
Flora Balduini

Our Lady Queen of Peace
Sandy Jordan