One of the stumbling blocks of many non-Catholics face before becoming Catholic is the emphasis the Church places on the Blessed Virgin Mary. Once they realize that we do not worship Mary…a mis-conception that is too often believed—non-Catholics still feel that we put to much emphasis on her. After all, she was just a human like everyone else, right?
Well to believe she was just ordinary we have to assume that God just chose anyone to bear his son….which seems unlikely, does it not?
God chose Mary to be Jesus’ mother due to a combination of her remarkable character—humility, faith, obedience, and purity—and specific divine purposes, fulfilling prophecies about the Messiah’s humble origins (Nazareth) and Davidic lineage, showcasing God’s use of the marginalized (anawim) for His plan, and preparing her uniquely through upbringing to accept an impossible call with trust, demonstrating that God looks at the heart, not outward status.
But why call the Blessed Virgin Mary “Queen”?
In the Davidic Kingdom of the Old Testament, a king’s mother was the queen, not the king’s spouse. Jesus is King. Mary is his mother. Therefore, Mary is queen.
Jesus is God. Mary is his mother. Therefore, Mary is the mother of God.
Jesus is the King of Heaven. Mary is His mother, the queen. Therefore, Mary is the “Queen of Heaven”.
Over the centuries, any artists have depicted the Blessed Virgin Mary being crowned as “Queen of Heaven and Earth”
Here are just a few:
6th Century (Regina): Santa Maria Antiqua displays one of the earliest examples of Mary depicted as an empress, signifying her role as Queen of Heaven.
10th Century (Coronation): The Benedictional of St Æthelwold (963–984) contains an image depicting the coronation of the Virgin, possibly the first Western representation.
12th Century (Enthroned/Crowned): A Catalan apse fresco (first half of the 12th century) shows Mary holding a crown. The tympanum at Senlis (c. 1170) depicts Christ and Mary crowned on a shared throne.
13th Century (Active Coronation): The scene of an angel crowning Mary becomes more common, such as on the Portal of the Virgin at Notre Dame de Paris (1210s-1220s).