Do You Know Why The Blessed Virgin Mary Wears Blue?

Color has many spiritual meanings that reveal the attributes of the Mother of God.

In Christian art of the last thousand years or more, there is a color almost always associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary: the blue.

Because? What is the meaning of this color?

To begin with, the blue color has deep biblical roots in the Old Testament. According to Dr. R. Jared Staudt, color is specifically mentioned as the color of the people of Israel in the book of Numbers.

For the people of Israel, blue brings to mind obedience to the commandments of God, as opposed to a person’s selfish will.

This was perfectly experienced by the Blessed Mother, who said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; according to his word “(Luke 1:38). She was the faithful “Daughter of Zion” who fulfilled the call of obedience requested by God to the Israelites.

In addition, the book of Numbers indicated that “the Levites shall spread upon [the Ark of the Covenant] a cloth of blue” (4: 6). And again: “And on the table of the bread of the Presence they must spread a cloth of blue color” (4: 7).

Mary is traditionally called the new Ark of the Covenant, because she kept within herself the Divine Presence of God.

On the other hand, for the Byzantine / Orthodox tradition, the blue mantle of Mary has another meaning.

Blue, in iconography, represents transcendence, mystery and the divine. It is the color of the sky and, therefore, is seen as a celestial color.

The red in contrast is seen as a terrestrial color, the color of blood.

Jesus is typically portrayed in a blue robe and red underwear, symbolizing how the deity envelops his humanity.

Mary, on the other hand, is always seen wearing a red outer garment and blue underwear, depicting how she carried the deity (Jesus) within her humanity.

When Maria appeared to San Juan Diego, she wore a blue-green blanket. According to the Knights of Columbus , “the blue-green mantle stained with stars symbolizes the heavens. In addition, the color of the robe indicates its royalty, since only the native emperors could use layers of that color “.

In short, blue is a very important color in the artistic traditions of Christianity and has deep spiritual meanings that bring different attributes of the Blessed Mother. It is a sacred color, which reminds us of Mary’s faithfulness and her privileged role in the history of salvation.