Mary, Untier of Knots or Mary, Undoer of Knots is the name of both a Marian devotion and a Baroque painting (German: Wallfahrtsbild or Gnadenbild) which represents that devotion. The painting by Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner, of around 1700, is in the Catholicpilgrimage church of St. Peter am Perlach, otherwise known as the Perlach church, in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany. Devotion to the image had been limited to certain countries in Latin America (e.g., Argentina, Brazil) but became known worldwide following the election of Pope Francis.
The painting, executed in the Baroque style by Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner (1625-1707), shows the Blessed Virgin Mary standing on the crescent moon (the usual way of depicting Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception), surrounded by angels and with the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove hovering above her circle of stars as she unties knots from a long ribbon and at the same time rests her foot on the head of a "knotted" snake. The serpent represents the devil, and her treatment of him fulfills the prophecy in Genesis 3:15: "I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel."[1]
Below are shown a human figure being led by an angel. This scene is often interpreted as Tobias and the ArchangelRaphael traveling to ask Sara to be his wife.[2]
The concept of Mary untying knots is derived from a work by St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Adversus haereses (Against Heresies). In Book III, Chapter 22, he presents a parallel between Eve and Mary, describing how "the knot of Eve's disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this did the virgin Mary set free through faith."[3]
The two small figures have also been interpreted as a representation of Wolfgang Langenmantel, the grandfather of the benefactor, guided in his distress by a guardian angel to Father Jakob Rem in Ingolstadt.[2]
The painting was donated around 1700 by Hieronymus Ambrosius Langenmantel (1641-1718),[4], a doctor in Canon law and a canon of the Monastery of Saint Peter in Augsburg. Langenmantel was a friend of the Egyptologist, alchemist and esotericist Athanasius Kircher,[5][6] as well as a member of the Fruchtbringenden Gesellschaft (Society of the Carpophores), which exerted a considerable influence on the nascent German Freemasonry.[7]
The donation is said to be connected with an event in his family. His grandfather Wolfgang Langenmantel (1586-1637) was on the verge of separation from his wife Sophia Rentz (1590-1649) and therefore sought help from Jakob Rem, the Jesuit priest in Ingolstadt. Father Rem prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary and said: "In diesem religiösen Akt erhebe ich das Band der Ehe, löse alle Knoten und glätte es [In this religious act, I raise the bonds of matrimony, to untie all knots and smoothen them]". Immediately peace was restored between the husband and wife, and the separation did not happen. In the memory of this event, their grandson commissioned the painting of the "Untier of Knots".[citation needed]
DevotionEdit
The first chapel to be named "Mary, Untier of Knots" was completed in 1989 in Styria, Austria, inspired as a supplication in response to the Chernobyl Nuclear Tragedy.[8] The image of "Mary, Undoer of Knots" is especially venerated in Argentina and Brazil,[2] where churches have been named for her and devotion to her has become widespread and which the Guardian called a "religious craze".[9]
It had been believed that then-Father Bergoglio had seen the painting in person while visiting Augsburg and brought a copy of the painting to Argentina; however, in an interview for the German newsweekly Die Zeit in 2017, Pope Francis stated that he had never been to Augsburg. It was a German nun who sent him a Christmas greeting card with the image, which aroused his interest.[10] Bergoglio sent his seminarians with copies of the image to the slums of Buenos Aires, where the faithful were overwhelmed by the depiction of Mary as a knot and problem solver. He then commissioned Barbara Klimmeck, an exchange student from Eichstätt, to document the Augsburg original with all the details so that a copy could be made.[11] In Buenos Aires, a copy was painted by the artist Ana de Betta Berti,[12] for the Church of San José del Talar, which has had it since 8 December 1996. On the 8th of each month, thousands of people make the pilgrimage to this church.[13]
The devotion reached Brazil near the end of the 20th century. According to Regina Novaes, of the Institute of Religious Studies in Rio de Janeiro, Mary, Untier of Knots "attracts people with small problems".[9] Bergoglio had this image of Mary engraved on a chalice he presented to Pope Benedict XVI[14] and another chalice bearing her image, the work of the same silversmith, is to be presented to Pope Francis on behalf of the Argentine people.
Knowing about Pope Francis' special devotion for this image, a new South Korean ambassador in Vatican in 2018, Baek Man Lee, presented him with a Korean painting of Our Lady Undoer of Knots.[15]
The devotion to Mary, the Untier of Knots, can be found at numerous religious sites around the world.[8]
^"The society of the Carpophores" (in Italian). 7 April 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^ abInternational Fraternity of the Virgin Mary Untier of Knots, "List of Churches, Chapels and Places 28 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine where the Virgin Mary, Untier of Knots is venerated [as] Maria Knotenlöserin". Retrieved 16 June 2013.
^ abBellos, Alex (23 December 2001). "Virgin painting ties Brazilians in knots". The Guardian (UK). Retrieved 14 March 2013.
^. die Zeit. 6 April 2017. Archived from the original on 26 July 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
^"Tausende pilgern zum "heimlichen Weltstar" nach Augsburg". Augsburger Allgemeine. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
^(in Italian and German) Falasca, Stefania. "Nessun groviglio è senza uscita - Kein Problem (Verwicklung) endet in einer Sackgasse [Italian & German, "No Tangle is a Dead End"]", Avvenire, 14 April 2013.
^(in Spanish) Facebook of the parish of San José del Talar in Buenos Aires, with the photograph of the copy of the icon there.
^Jiménez, Pablo (14 March 2013). "The Pope's chalice: silver-made, austere and featuring Our Lady of Luján". Buenos Aires Herald. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
^"New ambassador from Korea deeply honored to present credentials to Holy Father". RomeReports.com. 16 February 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
External linksEdit
(International Fraternity)
Mary, Undoer of Knots (US and Canada)
The Holy Grail of Pope Francis: Our Lady of Lujan and Undoer of Knots (Blog: Mary Victrix)
If life has become a bit knotted, turn to Mary - Maria Knotenlöserin is a favorite of Pope Francis - (TheCompass, 19 November 2013)
The Blessed Virgin Mary, Untier of Knots - (Thinking Faith, 21 May 2013)
Book of Tobit (Douay-Rheims Bible)
(in German) Official Website of the Church of St. Peter am Perlach
(in German) Mary, Untier of Knots: Links between Augsburg and Buenos Aires
(in Portuguese) Maria Desatadora dos Nós 10 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine (Brazil)
(in Portuguese) Prayer to Nossa Senhora Desatadora dos Nós (Brazil)
(in Spanish) Maria Desatanudos
August 29, 2023
mary, untier, knots, mary, undoer, knots, name, both, marian, devotion, baroque, painting, german, wallfahrtsbild, gnadenbild, which, represents, that, devotion, painting, johann, georg, melchior, schmidtner, around, 1700, catholic, pilgrimage, church, peter, . Mary Untier of Knots or Mary Undoer of Knots is the name of both a Marian devotion and a Baroque painting German Wallfahrtsbild or Gnadenbild which represents that devotion The painting by Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner of around 1700 is in the Catholic pilgrimage church of St Peter am Perlach otherwise known as the Perlach church in Augsburg Bavaria Germany Devotion to the image had been limited to certain countries in Latin America e g Argentina Brazil but became known worldwide following the election of Pope Francis Mary Untier of KnotsArtistJohann Georg SchmidtnerYearc 1700TypeOil on poplarDimensions182 cm 110 cm 72 in 43 in LocationSt Peter am Perlach Augsburg Germany Contents 1 Painting 2 History 3 Devotion 3 1 Title in other languages 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksPainting EditThe painting executed in the Baroque style by Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner 1625 1707 shows the Blessed Virgin Mary standing on the crescent moon the usual way of depicting Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception surrounded by angels and with the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove hovering above her circle of stars as she unties knots from a long ribbon and at the same time rests her foot on the head of a knotted snake The serpent represents the devil and her treatment of him fulfills the prophecy in Genesis 3 15 I will put enmities between thee and the woman and thy seed and her seed she shall crush thy head and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel 1 Below are shown a human figure being led by an angel This scene is often interpreted as Tobias and the Archangel Raphael traveling to ask Sara to be his wife 2 The concept of Mary untying knots is derived from a work by St Irenaeus of Lyons Adversus haereses Against Heresies In Book III Chapter 22 he presents a parallel between Eve and Mary describing how the knot of Eve s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief this did the virgin Mary set free through faith 3 The two small figures have also been interpreted as a representation of Wolfgang Langenmantel the grandfather of the benefactor guided in his distress by a guardian angel to Father Jakob Rem in Ingolstadt 2 History Edit St Peter s Church with the Perlach TowerThe painting was donated around 1700 by Hieronymus Ambrosius Langenmantel 1641 1718 4 a doctor in Canon law and a canon of the Monastery of Saint Peter in Augsburg Langenmantel was a friend of the Egyptologist alchemist and esotericist Athanasius Kircher 5 6 as well as a member of the Fruchtbringenden Gesellschaft Society of the Carpophores which exerted a considerable influence on the nascent German Freemasonry 7 The donation is said to be connected with an event in his family His grandfather Wolfgang Langenmantel 1586 1637 was on the verge of separation from his wife Sophia Rentz 1590 1649 and therefore sought help from Jakob Rem the Jesuit priest in Ingolstadt Father Rem prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary and said In diesem religiosen Akt erhebe ich das Band der Ehe lose alle Knoten und glatte es In this religious act I raise the bonds of matrimony to untie all knots and smoothen them Immediately peace was restored between the husband and wife and the separation did not happen In the memory of this event their grandson commissioned the painting of the Untier of Knots citation needed Devotion EditThe first chapel to be named Mary Untier of Knots was completed in 1989 in Styria Austria inspired as a supplication in response to the Chernobyl Nuclear Tragedy 8 The image of Mary Undoer of Knots is especially venerated in Argentina and Brazil 2 where churches have been named for her and devotion to her has become widespread and which the Guardian called a religious craze 9 This devotion has become known worldwide since Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio Archbishop of Buenos Aires was elected Pope It had been believed that then Father Bergoglio had seen the painting in person while visiting Augsburg and brought a copy of the painting to Argentina however in an interview for the German newsweekly Die Zeit in 2017 Pope Francis stated that he had never been to Augsburg It was a German nun who sent him a Christmas greeting card with the image which aroused his interest 10 Bergoglio sent his seminarians with copies of the image to the slums of Buenos Aires where the faithful were overwhelmed by the depiction of Mary as a knot and problem solver He then commissioned Barbara Klimmeck an exchange student from Eichstatt to document the Augsburg original with all the details so that a copy could be made 11 In Buenos Aires a copy was painted by the artist Ana de Betta Berti 12 for the Church of San Jose del Talar which has had it since 8 December 1996 On the 8th of each month thousands of people make the pilgrimage to this church 13 The devotion reached Brazil near the end of the 20th century According to Regina Novaes of the Institute of Religious Studies in Rio de Janeiro Mary Untier of Knots attracts people with small problems 9 Bergoglio had this image of Mary engraved on a chalice he presented to Pope Benedict XVI 14 and another chalice bearing her image the work of the same silversmith is to be presented to Pope Francis on behalf of the Argentine people Knowing about Pope Francis special devotion for this image a new South Korean ambassador in Vatican in 2018 Baek Man Lee presented him with a Korean painting of Our Lady Undoer of Knots 15 The devotion to Mary the Untier of Knots can be found at numerous religious sites around the world 8 Title in other languages Edit This section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed September 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message Mary Untier of Knots has different names in other languages English Mary Untier of Knots Mary Undoer of Knots Mary who Unties the Knots Sinhala ශ මර ය ත ම ය ග ටල හ ම ද වම ත ව German Maria Knotenloserin Russian Mariya razvyazyvayushaya uzly Mariya razvyazyvajushchaya uzly French Marie qui defait les Nœuds Italian Maria che Scioglie i Nodi Polish Maria Rozwiazujaca Wezly Portuguese Maria Desatadora dos Nos Nossa Senhora Desatadora dos Nos Spanish Maria Desatanudos Maria Desatadora de Nudos Maria la que Desata los Nudos Hungarian A csomokat feloldo Maria Croatian Marija koja razvezuje cvorove Chinese 解結聖母瑪利亞 Pinyin Jiejie Shengmǔ Mǎliya Filipino Maria Tagakalag ng mga Buhol ng Buhay Ido Maria Desliganta la Nodi Arabic العذراء التي تحل العقد ʿAḏraʾ allati taḥullu l ʿuqad Tamil த ன ப ம ட ச ச க கள அவ ழ க க ம அன ன Malayalam ക ര ക ക കളഴ ക ക ന ന മ ത വ Kurukkukal azhikunna madhavu See also EditMarian devotions Turamichele fighting the Archangel Michael at the Perlach Tower Girdle of ThomasReferences Edit Douay Rheims Bible 1899 Edition a b c Richard Lenar History of the Devotion to Mary Untier of Knots A Dictionary of Mary University of Dayton Archived from the original on 13 November 2013 Retrieved 14 March 2013 Irenaeus Against Heresies III 22 Richard Lenar Untier of Knots Universita of Dayton Correspondance Kircher Langenmantel Fred Brauen January March 1982 Athanasius Kircher 1602 1680 Journal of the History of Ideas University of Pennsylvania Press 43 1 129 134 doi 10 2307 2709164 JSTOR 2709164 The society of the Carpophores in Italian 7 April 2022 Retrieved 25 February 2022 a b International Fraternity of the Virgin Mary Untier of Knots List of Churches Chapels and Places Archived 28 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine where the Virgin Mary Untier of Knots is venerated as Maria Knotenloserin Retrieved 16 June 2013 a b Bellos Alex 23 December 2001 Virgin painting ties Brazilians in knots The Guardian UK Retrieved 14 March 2013 Ich kenne auch die leeren Momente Was bedeutet Glaube Ein ZEIT Gesprach mit Papst Franziskus die Zeit 6 April 2017 Archived from the original on 26 July 2017 Retrieved 25 April 2020 Tausende pilgern zum heimlichen Weltstar nach Augsburg Augsburger Allgemeine 8 May 2015 Retrieved 25 April 2020 in Italian and German Falasca Stefania Nessun groviglio e senza uscita Kein Problem Verwicklung endet in einer Sackgasse Italian amp German No Tangle is a Dead End Avvenire 14 April 2013 in Spanish Facebook of the parish of San Jose del Talar in Buenos Aires with the photograph of the copy of the icon there Jimenez Pablo 14 March 2013 The Pope s chalice silver made austere and featuring Our Lady of Lujan Buenos Aires Herald Retrieved 14 March 2013 New ambassador from Korea deeply honored to present credentials to Holy Father RomeReports com 16 February 2018 Retrieved 17 February 2018 External links EditVirgin Mary Untier of Knots International Fraternity Mary Undoer of Knots US and Canada The Holy Grail of Pope Francis Our Lady of Lujan and Undoer of Knots Blog Mary Victrix If life has become a bit knotted turn to Mary Maria Knotenloserin is a favorite of Pope Francis TheCompass 19 November 2013 The Blessed Virgin Mary Untier of Knots Thinking Faith 21 May 2013 Book of Tobit Douay Rheims Bible in German Official Website of the Church of St Peter am Perlach in German Mary Untier of Knots Links between Augsburg and Buenos Aires in Portuguese Maria Desatadora dos Nos Archived 10 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine Brazil in Portuguese Prayer to Nossa Senhora Desatadora dos Nos Brazil in Spanish Maria Desatanudos Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mary Untier of Knots amp oldid 1163451568, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
