- Marian star
The six-pointed Marian star is the proper
star polygon forRoman Catholic usage.Geometric proportions
The Marian star is a
symmetric six-pointedstar polygon . It has six vertices and sixconvex vertices, which together equal a total of twelve vertices. The proportions of the Marian star are approximately 6:2.5. Its standard spoke ratio is approximately 0.4, but it may also be depicted with a spoke ratio as low as ".333" [Specifications if creating it with Inkscape; theStar of David has a spoke ratio of approximately 0.58] . Like thehexagram (inChristian symbolism theStar of David ), it can be formed through the inverted or extraverted extension of lines from a regularhexagon and, if its points are truncated, it becomes a regular hexagon. Unlike the hexagram, the intersection of inverted or extraverted lines does not result in a regular hexagon, and only half of the points used in the formation of the star lines are vertices of a regular hexagram (the other half of the points are on the sides of the hexagon approximately half-way between the vertices of the hexagon).Usage
The Marian star is the Roman Catholic symbol which is the proper shape for depictions of artistic celestial objects related to the
Blessed Virgin Mary and all other cases except when theStar of David is the appropriate symbol [Much of this information was obtained from the works of Rev. Siegfried Lang, ORC and was contained in a series "The Mystery of the Thirteenth of Fatima," which was apparently discontinued by the publisher] . The Marian star is improperly substituted with thefive-pointed star on a frequent basis, particularly in the case of most Miraculous Medals manufactured at the time of the writing of this article. [Some Miraculous Medals also improperly contain theseven-pointed star rather than the Marian star, but these are much fewer in number.]Flags
The Marian star appears on the flag of
Chicago, Illinois . The star is also used as a decorative motif throughout the city, such as on railings of pedestrian walkways in the downtown area.Each star stands for a different part of the city's history, from the city's founding, destruction, and World's Fairs. In addition, each point of each star stands for a different virtue, government, or city nickname.Francis Hopkinson , a U.S. founding father, designed an early proposal for the national flag with six-pointed stars instead of five. These stars are depicted either as Marian stars or with thicker angles like those of ahexagram . As in the final design of the flag, each star represents one of the 13 states in the union.Coat of arms
Two Marian stars appears on the coat of arms of
Hamburg in all versions. It is believed, that the stars on top of the two side-towers and the cross recalls the fact that Hamburg used to be an archbishopric.cite web |publisher=State Chancellery (Senatskanzlei) |url=http://www.hamburg.de/wappen/ |title=Flaggen, Wappen und Logos |accessdate=2008-08-13 de icon]Popular culture
* A custom shape in PhotoImpact Pro could be considered acceptable for use as a Marian star (it does have a high spoke ratio, however)
* The Marian star is featured on thealtar of the Jesuit Colombiere Center in Clarkston,Michigan .Footnotes
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