Queen of Heaven is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by Christians mainly of the Roman Catholic Church, and also, to some extent, in Anglicanism and Eastern Orthodoxy, to whom the title is a (disputed) consequence of the First Council of Ephesus in the fifth century, in which the Virgin Mary was proclaimed "theotokos", a title rendered in Latin as Mater Dei, in English as "Mother of God".
The Catholic teaching on this subject is expressed in the papal encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam, issued by Pope Pius XII. It states that Mary is called Queen of Heaven because her son, Jesus Christ, is the king of Israel and heavenly king of the universe. The Eastern Orthodox Churches do not share the Catholic dogma, but themselves have a rich liturgical history in honor of Mary.
The title Queen of Heaven has long been a Catholic tradition, included in prayers and devotional literature, and seen in Western art in the subject of the Coronation of the Virgin, from the High Middle Ages, long before it was given a formal definition status by the Church.
Read more about Queen Of Heaven: Catholicism, In The Liturgy of The Hours, Biblical Basis, Art
Famous quotes containing the words queen of, queen and/or heaven:
“We are no more free agents than the queen of clubs when she victoriously takes prisoner the knave of hearts.”
—Mary Wortley, Lady Montagu (1689–1762)
“If it were worth while to argue a paradox, one might maintain that nature regards the female as the essential, the male as the superfluity of her world. Perhaps the best starting-point for study of the Virgin would be a practical acquaintance with bees, and especially with queen bees.”
—Henry Brooks Adams (1838–1918)
“If Heaven a draught of heavenly pleasure spare,
One cordial in this melancholy vale,
‘T is when a youthful, loving, modest pair
In other’s arms breathe out the tender tale,”
—Robert Burns (1759–1796)