History of Roman Catholic Mariology

History Of Roman Catholic Mariology

The history of Roman Catholic Mariology traces theological developments and views regarding Mary from the early Church to the 20th century. Mariology is a mainly Catholic ecclesiological movement within theology, which centers on the relation of Mary and the Church. Roman Catholic Mariology is the encyclopedic area of theology concerned with Mary, the Mother of God. Theologically, it not only deals with her life, but her veneration in daily life, prayer, art,music, architecture, in modern and ancient Christianity throughout the ages.

Throughout history, Roman Catholics have continued to build churches to honor the Blessed Virgin. Today, a large number of Roman Catholic churches dedicated to the Blessed Virgin exist on all continents, and in a sense, their evolving architecture tells the unfolding story of the development of Roman Catholic Mariology. Throughout Roman Catholic history, the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary has led to the creation of numerous items of Roman Catholic Marian art. Today, these items may be viewed from an artistic perspective, but also they are part of the fabric of Roman Catholic Mariology.

The fact that Hugo Rahner's 20th century discovery and reconstruction of Saint Ambrose's 4th century view of Mary as the Mother of the Church, was adopted at the Second Vatican Council, is an example that shows the influence of early traditions and views on Mary in modern times. This view was then emphasized by Pope John Paul II in 1997, and today Mary is viewed as the Mother of the Church by many Catholics, as Ambrose had proposed.