In Art
The event forms a usual component of extensive cycles of the Life of Christ and also of the Life of the Virgin, although often only one of this scene and the visually similar Circumcision of Jesus is shown, and by the late Middle Ages the two are sometimes combined. Early images concentrated on the moment of meeting with Simeon, typically shown at the entrance to the Temple, and this is continued in Byzantine art and Eastern Orthodox icons to the present day. In the West, beginning in the 8th or 9th century, a different depiction at an altar emerged, where Simeon eventually by the Late Middle Ages came to be shown wearing the elaborate vestments attributed to a Jewish high priest, and conducting a liturgical ceremony surrounded by the family and Anna. In the West Simeon is more often already holding the infant, or the moment of handover is shown; in Eastern images the Virgin is more likely still to hold Jesus.
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James Tissot - The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (La présentation de Jésus au Temple) - Brooklyn Museum
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Stained glass window at St. Michael's Cathedral (Toronto) depicts Infant Jesus at the Temple
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Virgin of Candelaria, Saint Patron of Canary Islands
Read more about this topic: Candlemas
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