Mary garden

For the opera singer, see Mary Garden.

Garden at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

A Mary Garden is a small sacred garden enclosing a statute or shrine of the Virgin Mary, who is known to many Christians as the Blessed Virgin, Our Lady, or the Mother of God.^[1] In Christian tradition, Mary is the mother of Jesus of Nazareth, also known as Jesus Christ. Mary gardens are most common to those Christian denominations which hold the Virgin Mary in special esteem, particularly Roman Catholics and Anglicans.

The practice originated among monasteries and convents in medieval Europe. The first such garden open to the public in the United States was founded in 1932 at St. Joseph's Church, Woods Hole, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

The statute of Mary, sometimes holding the Infant Christ, is central to the garden. Select flowers, shrubs, and trees associated with the legends around Mary are planted in the garden. Such plants may include laurel trees, strawberries, ladyslippers, lilies of the valley, peonies, violets, irises and roses, all of which are identified as symbolic and significant in the story of Mary as recounted in the Bible and other Christian stories. Gardens may have benches and a facility for lighting votive candles.

It demonstrates devotional commitment through the spiritual practice of designing, building and maintaining the garden and for the attendance, contemplation, and prayers of visitors. Mary gardens are similar to the Zen meditation gardens found in the Buddhist tradition, with the exception that a Mary Garden pays homage to a person, the Virgin Mary, whereas a meditation garden in the Oriental traditions does not focus on a person.^[2][3][4][5]

Gallery

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  Mary Garden at the Basilica of St. Lawrence in Asheville, North Carolina

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  Mary garden at St. Michael's College School in Toronto, Canada

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  Mary garden at Chapel of the Most Holy Trinity at the West Point Military Academy in New York.

References

1. ^ Ann Ball, 2003 Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and Practices ISBN 087973910X page 341
2. ^ Mary's Garden Home Page
3. ^ Create a Mary Garden
4. ^ International Marian Research Institute - Garden of Our Lady, St. Joseph's Church
5. ^ Krymow, Vincenzina (2002). Mary's Flowers: Gardens, Legends, and Meditations. Cincinnati OH: St Anthony Messenger Press. ISBN 0867165138.

A series of articles on Roman Catholic Mariology
General articles Overview of Mariology • Veneration of the Blessed Virgin • History of Mariology
Expressions of devotion Art • Hymns • Music • Architecture
Specific articles Apparitions • Saints • Popes • Societies • Hearts of Jesus & Mary • Consecration to Mary

See also

• Anglican devotions
• Catholic devotions
• Sacramentals