Our Lady of Sorrows, The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary

Simon Bening, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
from the Prayer Book of Cardinal
Albrecht of Brandenburg
Flemish (Bruges), c.1525-1530
Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum
MS Ludwig IX 19, fol. 251v

September 15 is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. To non-Catholics it may look like yet another in a series of Marian feast days that honor Mary under various titles that begin with "Our Lady of........", usually followed by a place name (Fatima, Lourdes, Walsingham, etc.) This one is a little different. So, where does this title for the Virgin Mary come from? Well, some people may be astonished for find that it comes from the Bible, from the Gospel of Luke, in fact.


When Jesus was presented in the Temple, Simeon, the old man who had been awaiting the arrival of the Messiah, recognized the Baby as the One and greeted Him appropriately with the beautiful song of praise which is known as the Nunc Dimittis.* Then Saint Luke tells us that
“The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
(Luke 2:32-35, one of two Gospel readings which may be used for the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, italics are mine,)
This piercing of the heart of Mary in connection with the life of her Son came true as Simeon stated (or rather as the retrospection of the Gospel writer intended) and was magnified in pious tradition to become the Seven Sorrows of Mary, each Sorrow an episode in her life and that of Jesus.



The Seven Sorrows are:
1.  The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)
2.  The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15)
3.  Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (Luke 2:41-50)
4.  Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-31; John 19:17)
5.  Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:25-30)
6.  The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross (Psalm 130; Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37)
7.  The burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47)1

Artists have shown different ways of depicting Mary’s sorrows and her response to them.



Because the greatest number of Sorrows are related to the Passion of Christ, the predominant manner in which Mary’s sorrows has been depicted is as part of the Passion narrative. Following the hints found in the Gospels Mary has appeared in the crowd following Jesus as He carries the cross, she has been depicted in an agony of grief as she stands at the foot of the cross, supported by St. John the Evangelist and her female companions.

Following Jesus on His Journey to Golgotha

Simone Martini, Jesus Carrying the Cross
Italian, 1333
Paris, Musée du Louvre

Jean le Noir, Jesus Carrying the Cross
From the Petites Heures de Jean de Berry
French (Paris), c. 1375
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
Latin 18014, fol. 86v










The Master of Hoogstraeten, The Road to Calvary and Flight into Egypt
Third panel from the left of the Seven Sorrows Altarpiece
Flemish, c. 1510-1520
Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium

Standing at the Cross

The Crucifixion
From the Rabbula Gospels
Syrian (Beth Zagba), c. 586
Florence, Bibliotheca Medicea-Laurenziana
MS. Plut. I. 56, fol. 12v-13r










The Crucifixion
From a Gospel Book
English (Canterbury), c. 1060-1070
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 709, fol. 1v












The Crucifixion
From a Lectionary
German (Saxony), c. 1215-1235
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 299, fol. 6r









Duccio, The Crucifixion
Italian, 1308-1311
Siena, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo









Rogier van der Weyden, The Crucifixion
Flemish, c.1445
Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum










Francesco Granacci. The Crucifixion
Italian, c.1510
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art











The Master of Hoogstraeten, The Crucifixion
Fourth panel from the left of the Seven Sorrows Altarpiece
Flemish, c. 1510-1520
Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium







Beyond the Gospels narratives, logical conclusion has meant that she also appears, similarly afflicted, in the great Pietà mages, and as the chief mourner at scenes of the entombment.

The Pietà (Mary Mourning Her Son after His Removal from the Cross)

Anonymous, The Röttgen Pietà
German, c. 1300
Bonn, Rheinisches Landesmuseum











The Pietà
From the Speculum humanae salvationis
French (Alsace), c. 1370-1380
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Latin 511, fol. 48r










Roberto d'Oderisi, The Pietà
Italian, c. 1370
Private Collection











The Master of Albocassar, The Virgin in Grief
Spanish, c. 1400-1420
Paris, Musée du Louvre











The Pieta of Tarascon
French (Provencal), c. 1450-1475
Paris, Musée de Cluny, Musée nationale du Moyen Age










Enguerrand Quarton, The Pietà of Villeneuve-les-Avignon
French, c. 1460
Paris, Musée du Louvre












The Master of Edward IV, Pietà
From the Speculum humanae salvationis
Flemish (Bruges), c. 1485
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 6275, fol. 48r










Michelangelo Buonarroti, The Pietà
Italian, 1499
Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica

The Entombment of Jesus

Taddeo Gaddi, The Entombment of Jesus
Italian, c.1335-1340
Florence, Church of Santa Croce, Cappella di Bardi di Vernio










Fra Angelico, The Entombment of Christ
Italian, c. 1438-1440
Munich, Bayerische Stratagemädesammlungen, Alte Pinakothek










The Entombment of Jesus
From the Speculum humanae salvationis
French, c. 1450
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 188, fol. 51r









The Master of Hoogstraeten, The Burial and Lamentation of Christ
Fifth Panel from the Left of the Seven Sorrows Altarpiece
Flemish, c. 1510-1520
Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts










The Master of the Autun Triptych, The Entombment of Christ
French, c. 1512-1530
Dolem, Musée des Beaux-Arts









Guercino, The Entombment of Christ
Italian, 1656
Chicago, Arts Institute






These are, however, entirely narrative images, and narrative images account for only a small percentage of the images of the Virgin Mary as the woman of sorrow, the Mater Dolorosa. 2



Art can be used to tell a story, as with narrative images. But, it can also transmit ideas and can do it, frequently, in a more direct and easily grasped form than can be done in words. As the old adage states, “One picture is worth a thousand words”. Consequently, several other modes of depicting the Sorrows of Mary have been used over time.

A Series of Pictures

One of the earliest modes was as a series of pictures, usually in manuscripts of the popular lay text the Speculum humanae salvationis, which was one of the “best-sellers” of the late medieval world. Through a combination of pictures and texts, lay people were offered a way to understand the Gospels and to meditate on aspects of the faith. These were not the carefully planned and painstakingly executed works that were intended for the clergy or the nobility, such as are found in service books, Gospel books or the numerous Books of Hours. These were quickly, even crudely executed works, that still have a certain ability to tell a story quickly through what amount to sketches. For the illustrations below I have chosen a few samples from different books of the first three of the Sorrows: the prophecy of Simeon, the Flight into Egypt and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple.








The Prophecy of Simeon, Joseph Warned to Flee to Egypt and Jesus Found in the Temple
From the Speculum humanae salvationis
Italian (Bologna), c. 1350-1400
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Arsenal 593, fol. 39v











The Flight into Egypt and Jesus Found in the Temple
From the Speculum humanae salvationis
French (Alsace), c. 1370-1380
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Latin 511, fol. 46










The Flight into Egypt and Jesus Found in the Temple
From the Speculum humanae salvationis
French, c. 1450
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 188, fol. 50










The Master of Edward IV, Flight into Egypt and Mary and Joseph Searching for Jesus
From the Speculum humanae salvationis
Flemish (Bruges), c. 1485
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 6275, fol.47r
This copy of the Speculum was obviously executed for a more upscale client than the other works in this section.






Later, as printing replaced illumination painters produced cycles of paintings of the individual sorrows, as well as paintings that contain references to the seven, as I will discuss later.

The Mater Dolorosa

Another early development was to, in effect, extract the image of the sorrowing Virgin Mary from images of the Crucifixion and place her upper body in the center of the picture frame. This gives us the image known as the Mater Dolorosa, the Sorrowing Mother. This image became most popular first in the Low Countries in the fifteenth century and eventually spread throughout Europe with repercussions all the way into the twentieth century.








The Mater Dolorosa
Spanish (Valencia), c. 1450s
London, National Gallery









Jean Colombe, The Mater Dolorosa opposite a text of the Stabat Mater
From the Hours of Anne of France
French (Bourges), 1473
New York, Pierpoont Morgan Library
MS M 677, fol. 38r









Hans Memling, The Mater Dolorosa
German, c. 1480-1490
Florence, Gallerie degli Uffizi











Simon Marmion, The Mater Dolorosa
French, 1480
Strasbourg, Musée des Beaux-Arts









Workshop of Dirk Bouts, The Mater Dolorosa
Dutch, c. 1410-1475
Chicago, Art Institute











Paolo de San Leocadio, The Mater Dolorosa
Italian, c. 1482-1484
Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado










Titian, The Mater Dolorosa with Closed Hands
Italian, 1554
Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado











Titian, The Mater Dolorosa with Open Hands
Italian, 1555
Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado










El Greco, The Mater Dolorosa
Greco-Spanish, c. 1590s
Strasbourg, Musée des Beaux-Arts











Jusepe de Ribera, The Mater Dolorosa
Spanish, 1638
Kassel, Staatliche Museen









Studio of Sassoferrato, The Mater Dolorosa
Italian, c. 1650
Oxford (UK), Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archeology







Over time the focus moved from the face and hands to the entire body of the Virgin Mary and references to the Passion were added but, for the most part, artists still concentrated on a close up view of Mary's mourning.








Philippe de Champaigne, The Virgin of Sorrows at the Foot of the Cross
Flemish, c. 1650
Paris, Musée du Louvre









Elisabetta Sirani, The Mater Dolorosa
Italian, 1657
Braunschweig, Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum










Bartolome Esteban Murillo, La Dolorosa
Spanish, c. 1660-1670
Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado










Francesco Solimena, The Mater Dolorosa
Italian, c. 1723
Dresden, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister











Rosalba Carriera, The Mater Dolorosa
Italian, c. 1720-1750
Dresden, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister










Christoforo Unterperger, The Virgin of Sorrows Surrounded by Angels
Italian, c. 1780
Paris, Musée du Louvre









Johann Peter Krafft, The Mater Dolorosa
Austrian, c. 1840-1850
Vienna, Belvedere Museum










Jose Peyret Alcanyiz, La Dolorosa
Spanish. c. 1840
Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado






In the aftermath of the First World War artists expressed the grief of millions of mothers by referring back to the image of the Mater Dolorosa.






Jakob Smits, The Mater Dolorosa
Dutch, c. 1920s
Brussels, Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique










Harry Clarke, The Mother of Sorrows Window
Irish, 1926
Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland









Although the subject of the Mater Dolorosa is primarily expressed through painting, sculptors also contributed to this iconography, usually with full length statues, but sometimes with bust or half-length images. Like the painted images, this sculptural tradition developed from representations of the Virgin Mary at the Crucifixion.






Virgin from a Deposition Scene
Italian, c. 1225-1250
Paris, Musée du Cluny, Musée nationale du Moyen Age













The Mater Dolorosa
Flemish, c. 1500-1520
Paris, Musée du Louvre, Département des Sculptures du Moyen Age, de la Renaissance et des temps modernes












The Mater Dolorosa
Fragment of an Altarpiece
French, c. 1520
Paris, Musée de Cluny, Musée nationale du Moyen Age











Germain Pilon, The Mater Dolorosa
French, c. 1586
Paris, Musée du Louvre, Département des Sculptures du Moyen Age, de la Renaissance et des temps modernes













Francois Girardon, The Mater Dolorosa
French, 1657
Paris, Musée du Louvre










Our Lady of Sorrows
Spanish Colonial (New Mexico), 17th-18th Century
Cleveland, Museum of Art

The Man of Sorrows and the Mater Dolorosa

A similar image of Mary as the Mater Dolorosa was occasionally paired with the image of Jesus as the Man of Sorrows. This was sometimes done within a single picture (a painting or a print) or it may be accomplished by a diptych, a two-panel hinged format. In seventeenth-century Spain, it frequently took the form of highly realistic, bust or three-quarter figural sculptures.







The Master of the Stories of Mary in Aachen, The Man of Sorrows and 
the Mater Dolorosa
German, c. 1485
Aachen, Domschatzkammer













After Lucas van Leyden, The Man of Sorrows and the Mater Dolorosa
Dutch, 16th Century
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum










Wolf Traut, The Man of Sorrows and the Mater Dolorosa
German, 1512
Washington, National Gallery of Art
The inscription at the bottom of the image reads "Aspice qui transis quia tu mihi causa doloris", which translates to an admonition to the viewer "Behold, you are the cause of my pain", thus reminding the viewer that Christ suffered for our sins.













Hans Holbein the Younger, Diptych with Christ as the Man of Sorrows and the Mater Dolorosa
German, c. 1520
Basel, Kunstmuseum











Adriaen Isenbrant, Ecce Homo with the Mourning Virgin
Flemish, c. 1530-1540
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art











Bartolome Esteban Murillo, The Man of Sorrows and the Mater Dolorosa
Spanish, c. 1670-1675
Private Collection











Pedro de Mena, The Ecce Homo and the Mater Dolorosa
Spanish, c. 1674-1685
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Mater Dolorosa Pierced by a Sword

Another group of images takes the subject of Our Lady of Sorrows in a different, more symbolic direction. This is the group that I call The Sword-Pierced Mater Dolorosa. In these images the Virgin Mary is pierced, or about to be pierced, with swords, numbering anywhere from one to seven. They offer a literal interpretation of the words of Simeon from Saint Luke's Gospel, including images in which the sword approaches her directly from the body of Christ on the Cross. For these, she can be either sitting or standing.






Ivory Pax with the Crucifixion, Mary Pierced by a Sword
South German, c. 1360-1370
New York, Metropolitan Museum, The Cloisters




A pax is an object long out of use in the Catholic liturgy. Paxes were small plaques with scenes from the Passion or scenes with Eucharistic references that were passed among the congregation at Mass following the consecration, where today we give the sign of peace. However, it also sometimes served as a substitute for the Eucharist itself. In the middle ages the laity did not usually receive Holy Communion except at Easter. The pax was a very inadequate substitute for the actual Eucharist, but it did give people a small sense of participation in this part of the liturgy, while allowing them to skip the very strict Eucharistic fast. With the encouragement of frequent Communion for the laity that was ushered in following the reforms of the Council of Trent the pax was mostly abandoned. 4








Our Lady of Sorrows Pierced by Swords
German, 15th Century
Sendenhorst (Kreis Warendorf), Catholic Parish Church of Saint Ludgarus










The Crucifixion, Mary Pierced by a Sword
From the Speculum humanae salvationis
French, c. 1450
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Francais 188, fol. 50v










Our Lady of Sorrows Venerated by Vladislav II of Bohemia and Hungary
From a Prayer Book Probably Made for Vladislav II, king of Bohemia and Hungary
Polish (Cracow), c. 1470-1480
Oxford, University of Oxford, Bodleian Libraries
MS Rawl. liturg. d. 6, fol. 42v










Anonymous, Mary Pierced by Seven Swords
Netherlandish, c. 1500-1525
London, Trustees of the British Museum









The Mater Dolorosa
Flemish, First Half of the 16th Century
Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts









Our Lady of Sorrows with Donors
French, c. 1500-1525
Champlitte, Parish Church of Saint Christopher









The Master of the Goslar Sibyls, The Man of Sorrows and the Mater Dolorosa Pierced by Swords
Chapel of the Trinity
German, c. 1501-1515
Goslar, Rathaus, Reception Hall



This rather unusual use of the images of the Man of Sorrows and the Mater Dolorosa places the images on the doors of a chapel.








The Master of the Goslar Sibyls, The Man of Sorrows and the Mater Dolorosa (close up view)
Chapel of the Trinity
German, c. 1501-1515
Goslar, Rathaus, Reception Hall









Mary Pierced by Seven Swords
German, c. 1510-1520
Euskirchen, Elsig, Catholic Parish Church of the Holy Cross








The Master of Hoogstraeten, Mary Pierced by a Sword
Sixth Panel from the Left of the Seven Sorrows Altarpiece
Flemish, c. 1510-1520
Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts








Hans Springinklee, Our Lady of Sorrows as the Garden of the Soul
German, 1518
Dresden, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Kupferstich-Kabinett









Jacob Conneliszoon, Our Lady of Sorrows
From Die Kleine Passion
Dutch, c. 1520-1521
Dresden, Kupferstich-Kabinett










Mary Pierced by the Sword at the Foot of the Cross
From a Prayer Book
Flemish (Antwerp), c. 1525
The Hague, Museum Meermano
MS MMW 10 E 4-078r









Workshop of the Master of the David Scenes in the Grimani Breviary, Stabat Mater Illustration
From a Book of Hours
Flemish (Bruges), c. 1525-1530
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 1175, fol. 215r








Johann Sadeler after Christoph Schwarz, Mary Pierced by the Sword
German, c. 1588 -1595
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum









Bronze Morse (clasp for a cope), Mary Pierced by Seven Swords with Two Saints
Spanish, 17th Century
Ecouen, Musée national de la Renaissance









Our Lady of Sorrows (Notre Dame du Pitie)
Detail of an Altarpiece
French, 17th Century
Figeac, Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Pitie









Our Lady of Sorrows
French, 17th Century
Laon, Church of Notre-Dame










Our Lady of Sorrows as the Pietà
German, 17th Century
London, Victoria and Albert Museum










Pierre Firens, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
Franco-Flemish, c. 1600-1639
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum










Possibly Peeter van Baelen, Virgin of the Seven Sorrows
Flemish, c. 1600-1635
Paris, Musée du Louvre, Département des Objets d'art du Moyen Age, de la Renaissance et des temps modernes











Peter Overadt, Mater Dolorosa
German, c. 1601
Wolfenbüttel, Herzog August Bibliothek









Schelte Adamszoon Bolswert, After Abraham Bloemaert, Mary Pierced by Seven Swords
Dutch, c. 1612-1615
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum











Cornelis de Vos, Mater Dolorosa
Flemish, 1620
Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts











Antoon Paydherbe, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows
Flemish, 1626
Mechelen, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-over-de-Dijlekerk













Frederic Brentel, The Mater Dolorosa
From the Hours of  Guillaume de Bade
French, 1647
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Latin 10567, p. 256









Cornelis Galle After Anthony van Dyck, The Mater Dolorosa
Flemish, Before 1650
San Francisco, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco











Cornelis Van Poelenburg, The Mater Dolorosa
Dutch, c. 1630-1665
Munich, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Alte Pinakothek












Paolo Naldini, Our Lady of Sorrows
Italian, c. 1639
Rome, Church of San Marcello al Corso, Capella della Madonna dei Sette Dolori













Attributed to Marc Antonio de Santis, Saints Augustine and Philip Binizzi (member of the Order of Servites) Interceding before Our Lady of Sorrows for the Souls in Purgatory
Italian, c. 1650-1681
Ortiporio (Corsica), Parish Church











Giovanni Battista Gaulli Called Baciccio, Our Lady of Sorrows with Saints Augustine and Nicholas of Tolentine
Italian, c. 1650-1709
Paris, Musée du Louvre, Département des Arts graphique













Willem van der Leeuw After Peter Paul Rubens, The Mater Dolorosa
Flemish, Before 1665
Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts










Follower of Frencesco Trevisani, Mary Pierced by the Sword
Italian, c. 1700
Private Collection













Holy Water Font with Our Lady of Sorrows
Italian, 18th Century
Saint-Omer, Musée de l'hôtel Sandelin












The Virgin of Sorrows
Spanish Colonial (Possibly Mexican), 18th Century
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art












The Virgin of Sorrows
Spanish Colonial (Possibly Mexican), 18th Century
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art












Domenico Noferi, Madonna dell'Adolorata
Italian, 1754
Florence, Church of Santissima Annunziata












Miguel Cabrera, Our Lady of Sorrows Surrounded by the Trinity, Various Saints and the Souls in Purgatory
Mexican, c. 1760
Location Unknown












Jose Camaron Bonanat, La Dolorosa
Spanish, c. 1785-1790
Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado












Our Lady of Sorrows
French, c. 1800-1850
Brehan, Church of Notre-Dame












Our Lady of Sorrows Ring
Italian, c. 1800-1850
London, Victoria and Albert Museum











Louis Stanislas Marin-Lavigne After Murillo, Mater Dolorosa
French, c. 1830-1860
Edinburgh, National Galleries of Scotland, Scottish National












Notre-Dame des Sept Douleurs lithograph
French, c. 1875-1900
Epinal, Musée de l'image











D. Darquet, Stained Glass
French, 1879
Villers-Bocage, Parish Church of Saint Georges










Vicente Aznar, Our Lady of Sorrows
Spanish, 19th Century
Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional de Espaňa












John Singer Sargent, The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary
American, c. 1890-1916
Boston, Boston Public Library










Statue of Our Lady of Sorrows
French, c. 1895
Thorame-Bass, Parish Church












Processional Figure of Our Lady of Sorrows
Spanish, Contemporary

The Seven Sorrows

The final category consists of paintings that attempt to show the image of Mary, either the Sorrowing Mother or the Sword-Pierced Woman, surrounded by depictions of the Seven Sorrows themselves. This image seems to have been popular from about the beginning of the fifteenth century to about the middle of the sixteenth century, with some late appearing outriders. It exists in all media, miniature painting, panel painting, enamels, drawings and prints, nearly all of them hailing from northern Europe. No doubt there are (or were) images in the medium of sculpture as well. We must bear in mind that there was a great deal of destruction wrought on images in northern Europe during the Reformation and its aftermath. The media mentioned above are easier to transport and to hide than all but the smallest items of sculpture. So, there has likely been disproportionate damage to sculpture in those countries where this particular image has been most prevalent.






Jean le Tavernier, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
From a Book of Hours
Flemish (Ghent), c. 1425-1450
London, British Library
MS Additional 19416, fol. 8v










The Master of Isabella di Chiaromonte, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
From a Book of Hours
Dutch (Delft), 1460-1520
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 71, fol.12v











The Master of Cornelis Croesinck, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
From the Croesinck Hours
Dutch, 1489-1499
New York, Pierpont Morgan Museum
MS M 1078, fol.104v











Albrecht Durer, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
German, c.1496
Munich, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Alte Pinakothek











Master S, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
Flemish, c. 1600
Dresden, Sächsische Landesbibliothek











Master S, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
Flemish, c. 1500-1525
London, Trustees of the British Museum










Simon Bening, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
From the Da Costa Hours
Belgian (Bruges), 1510-1520
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 399, fol. 92v










Adriaen Isenbrandt, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
Flemish, 1518-1535
Bruges, Church of Our Lady










Monogrammist S, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
Dutch, c. 1516-1545
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum










Herik Douverman, Altar of the Seven Joys and the Seven Sorrows
Dutch, c. 1518-1522
Kalkar Kreis Kleve, Catholic Parish Church of Saint Nicholas










The Master of the Magdalen Legend, The Seven Sorrows of Mary with Donors and Their Patrons, Saints Christopher and Catherine of Alexandria
Called The Ashwellthorpe Triptych
Flemish, c. 1515-1525
Norfolk (UK), Norfolk Castle Museum and Art Gallery









Bernard van Orley, Center Panel of the Triptych of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows
Flemish, c. 1520-1535
Besancon, Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archeologie










Adriaen Ysenbrandt, The Virgin of the Seven Sorrows
Flemish, 1521
Brussels, Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium











Bernard van Orley, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
Flemish, 1526
Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts











Jan Baegert, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
German, c. 1528-1530
Cologne, Kunstmuseum des Erzbistums Köln











Workshop of Pierre Reymond, Enamel Plaque with the Seven Sorrows of Mary and Two Donors
France, 1533
New York, The Frick Collection











Giorgio Ghisi, The Mater Dolorosa Surrounded by the Seven Sorrows
Italian, c. 1575
Philadelphia, Museum of Art










The Master of the Half-Lengths, The Virgin of the Seven Sorrows
Flemish, Late 16th Century
Barcelona, Museu Nacional d'Art de Cataluňa











Hieronymous Wierix after Jan Luyken, Our Lady of Sorrows
Flemish, 1581
Philadelphia, Museum of Art
The inscription reads "Behold, he is set here for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and as a sign to whom he will be contradicted: and a sword will pierce your soul above, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." These are the words of the prophet Simeon, related in the Gospel account of Saint Luke (Luke 2:32-35).










Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows
French, 17th Century
Bourg-en-Bresse, Church of Saint-Nicolas-de-Tolentin











Workshop of Penicaud, Enamel Plaque of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows
French, c. 1615
London, Trustees of the British Museum











Paul Fürst, The Seven Sorows of Mary
German, 1626
Wolfenbüttel, Herzog August Bibliothek

Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows

Devotion to Mary under the title of Our Lady of Sorrows was initially associated with the religious Order of the Servants of Mary, called the Servites. They were founded in 1233 by a group of seven pious laymen who were Florentine wool merchants. They had belonged to a lay confraternity with a devotion to Mary. However, like their contemporary Saint Francis, they gave up their prosperous careers and retreated to a village outside Florence where they established a religious community. Eventually they made their way to a nearby mountain and laid the foundations for a religious order of men. It was given approval by the bishop of Florence at some point in the mid-1240s as the Order of Friars Servants of Mary.






Our Lady of Sorrows
German, c. 1750-1800
Motten. Parish Church of St. Matthew




One of the primary factors in the spirituality of the Servites over the centuries has been devotion to Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows, as the Mater Dolorosa. Their black habit was established as a reminder or Mary’s dress as a widow. In 1692 Our Lady of Sorrows was officially declared to be the patroness of the order.3



© M. Duffy, 2017, Revised with addition of material and new images, 2022.

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* “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32)


1. This neat listing of the sorrows with their accompanying text references comes from  https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-09-15
2.  Mary, as the Mater Dolorosa, has also been described in poetry, specifically the poem called the Stabat Mater, usually attributed to the Franciscan Jacopone da Todi toward the end of the thirteenth century, which imagines the scene at the foot of the Cross, imagines Mary’s reaction to what is happening and prays to be united with her in her sufferings. It has been set to music by many composers, including Palestrina, Vivaldi, Pergolesi, Haydn, Rossini, Poulenc and Arvo Part, to name just the ones I’m personally familiar with. A chant version (with an English translation) is probably familiar to many since it is often used during communal celebration of the Stations of the Cross. It is also one of the few surviving sequences (hymns that precede the reading of the Gospel on feast days), being an optional sequence for the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. See https://www.stabatmater.info/ A sampling of various settings of the words can be found at https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=stabat+mater

3.  For information about the Order of Servites see http://www.servite.org/

Meehan, Andrew. "Pax." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11594b.htm

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.