Whether you’re facing spiritual attacks or you’re just bogged down by the evil you see around you, there’s no one better to come to your aid than the Blessed Mother.
Before she even existed, God declared her to be the one who would crush the head of Satan in Genesis. Artists throughout history have depicted our Heavenly Mother and Queen taking the devil head-on to protect her children. Here are CatholicVote’s Top Five examples!
#1 The Celestial Sucker Punch
Medieval manuscripts were full of powerful depictions of Our Lady fearlessly defeating demons. This popular image is from a historiated initial in “The De Brailes Hours,” created by William de Brailes in 13th-century England. The story behind it is that Mary punches Satan square in the face to retrieve a charter that a priest named Theophilus had used to sell his soul to the devil.
#2 Gabriel, Hold My Baby
From a 14th-century illuminated manuscript, the Taymouth Hours. Mother Mary hands the infant Jesus to the Archangel Gabriel and proceeds to tackle and subdue Satan.
#3 Mary Swings a Beelzebul Bat
This illustration in the French Martyrology of Notre-Dame des Près is dated around the years 1275-1300. The Holy Virgin has the devil in a corner here and he doesn’t stand a chance.
#4 Oh No You Didn’t
This painting from the Italian Renaissance shows Our Lady fighting relentlessly for her children. The image is based on an old tale in which a frustrated mother asked the devil to take her child. Regretting her words, she then calls on Mary – who appears swinging a baton to protect the boy.
#5 This Serpent? Merely A Footstool
Painted by Spanish artist Juan de Miranda in 1778, this piece shows the Blessed Mother effortlessly toppling the serpent and pinning him down with her cross-topped spear. This is juxtaposed with a scene from Genesis in the lower right corner, showing that while Eve failed to avoid the serpent’s temptation, Mary as the new Eve will conquer.
