Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary (Luke 1:26-38). In the sixth month of the conception of John the Baptist, the Angel Gabriel was sent to a small town located in the Zebulun tribe of the southern part of Galilee, to Nazareth, “To a virgin betrothed to a husband named Joseph, of the house of David; the name of the Virgin:

Birth and Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary A husband and wife, Joachim and Anna, lived in the city of Jerusalem. They were distant, although poor, descendants of King David, but they were very kind and pious people. They had no children, and they prayed very much and asked the Lord to send them at least

THE BIRTH AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE HOLY VIRGIN MARY In the small Galilean city of Nazareth lived a husband and wife - Joachim and Anna. They were distant and poor descendants of King David, but they were kind and pious people. All their lives they had no children, and they were very upset about this

THE BIRTH AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE HOLY VIRGIN MARY A husband and wife, Jacob and Anna, lived in the city of Jerusalem. They were distant, although poor, descendants of King David, but they were very kind and pious people. They had no children, and they prayed very much and asked the Lord to send them at least

Assumption of Mary

On August 15, Germany celebrates a major religious holiday - “The Ascension of Mary” (Maria Himmelfahrt).

It is dedicated to the memory of the ascension of the Mother of God into heaven and takes place in all Christian churches with some differences in dates. Ascension different nations has different meanings: falling into sleep - among the Greeks, dormition (from falling asleep) - among the Slavs, hence its full name among the Orthodox - Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary or the Virgin Mary. In the West, the Latin word has become entrenched - taking, accepting, which is why this day is called the Taking of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heavenly glory. All these names reflect one thing: despite the visible physical death, Mary remained immortal.

The holiday dates back to the first centuries of Christianity, and since 582, under the Byzantine Emperor of Mauritius, it has already been celebrated everywhere. Since 595, the holiday began to be celebrated on August 15 in honor of the victory of Mauritius over the Persians. You ask: “What does Mauritius and its victories have to do with it?” The fact is that, despite the widespread veneration and memory of her, little is known about the mother of Jesus Christ. Speaking modern language, there are many “blank spots” in her life story. And what is known is different sources is interpreted ambiguously. For example, the exact day of her burial is not indicated anywhere. So why not pick a random date?

Let us nevertheless try to outline the biography of the Virgin Mary.

The date of her birth is said to be 20 BC. e. Jerusalem is considered his birthplace. According to another version, Mary was born in Sepphoris near Nazareth, in Galilee.

The Protoevangelium of James says that Mary’s parents were Saints Joachim and Anna. The middle-aged couple had no children, for which Joachim was expelled from the temple and went to the mountains to the shepherds. There the archangel appeared to him and predicted the birth of Mary. The righteous Joachim and Anna made a vow that if the Lord gave them a child, they would dedicate him to God, and, as was customary then, they would give him to the temple to serve until he came of age. A year later, on September 8, their daughter was born.

Maria grew up in an environment of special ritual purity. At 3 years of age<ввели во храм>. The girl kept having visions of angels. By the age of 12, Mary took a vow of eternal virginity. But she could not stay at the temple, and a husband was chosen for her who respected her vow - the elderly Joseph the Betrothed. According to another version, this happened when she was 14 years old, on the initiative of the high priest.

At Joseph's house, Mary worked on purple yarn for the temple curtain. Having read in the sacred book about the chosen one who would give birth to the son of God, she exclaimed that she would like to at least be her servant. And the Annunciation occurred - the archangel Gabriel, sent from heaven by God, informed Mary about the impending birth of the Savior from her.

Seeing that his wife was expecting a child, the husband, only out of pity, did not want to publicly disgrace her. The Archangel Gabriel appeared and reassured him, telling him about the purity of conception. According to another version, after a visit by an angel, the virgin was publicly tested with “bitter water that brings a curse” on unfaithful wives. She managed to pass the test, which confirmed her chastity.

The Romans conducted a census, and Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem. Since all the hotels were occupied, the travelers had to stay in stalls, where Christ was born. There they were found by the wise men and shepherds.

When describing the life of Jesus Christ, Mary is also mentioned from time to time. On Golgotha, the Mother of God stood near the cross. The dying Christ entrusted his mother to the Apostle John. This is all there is about her in the New Testament.

It is believed that she died in Jerusalem or Ephesus 12 years after the ascension of Christ. According to legend, the apostles from all over the world managed to come to the deathbed of the Mother of God, with the exception of the Apostle Thomas, who arrived three days later and did not find Mary alive. At his request, her tomb was opened, but there were only fragrant shrouds. Christians believe that Mary's death was followed by her Ascension (according to Orthodox tradition on the third day), and Jesus Christ himself appeared for her soul at the moment of death. Catholics believe that after the ascension of the Virgin Mary, her coronation took place.

The Dormition of the Mother of God is an edification that death is not the destruction of human existence, but only a transition from earth to heaven to eternal immortality.

Many icons and statues of the Virgin Mary are deeply revered and considered miraculous. They serve as objects of mass pilgrimages.

Titian Vecellio (Pieve di Cadore, c. 1485/1490 – Venice, 1576) was a key figure in the development of Venetian and European painting. A great colorist, he fully explored the possibilities of writing in "all color", creating a language that would later influence Tintoretto and other major European masters such as Rembrandt, Rubens and El Greco.

Early works of Titian

As a ten-year-old boy, Titian went to Venice and there devoted himself to the study of painting. His teachers are called mosaicist Zuccato, Gentile and Giovanni Bellini. Giorgione had a significant influence on the development of Titian, with whom he together executed around 1507 the now lost frescoes (the earliest known work of Titian) in the Venetian church of Fondaco dei Tedeschi. One of Titian’s earliest and most perfect works, “Christ with a Denarius” (Dresden), is remarkable in its depth of psychological characterization, subtlety of execution and brilliant color.

Titian. Christ with a denarius (Denarius of Caesar). 1516

In his first works, Titian develops "tone painting" (Touch Me Not, National Gallery, London; series of female half-figures, such as Flora, c. 1515, Uffizi Gallery, Florence), while simultaneously developing an interest in the painting of Andrea Mantegna, Albrecht Dürer and Raphael, increasingly focusing on expressive realism, which was a fundamental innovation for Venetian school and the entire culture of the Serenissima (frescoes of the scuola of St. Anthony in Padua, 1511; a series of portraits, including Ariosto, National Gallery, London; the first woodcuts).

Titian. Woman in front of a mirror. OK. 1514

Titian. Love earthly and heavenly. 1514

This tendency found complete expression in Titian’s painting “Earthly and Heavenly Love” (1515, Galleria Borghese, Rome) and the monumental altar image “Assunta” (“Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Her Assumption into Heaven”, 1518, Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice). "Assunta" is Titian's masterpiece of religious painting. The wonderfully enlightened face of the Mother of God, ascending into heights, the delight and animation of the apostles gathered at the tomb, the majestic composition, the extraordinary brilliance of colors - all together form a powerful solemn chord that makes an irresistible impression.

Titian. Dormition of the Virgin Mary (Assunta). 1516-1518

Titian and court culture

In subsequent years, Titian began to carry out orders from some Italian courts (Ferrara, from 1519; Mantua, from 1523; Urbino, from 1532) and Emperor Charles V (from 1530), creating mythological and allegorical scenes: for example, Venus of Urbino (1538, Uffizi Gallery , Florence).

Titian. Venus of Urbino. Before 1538

How originally Titian developed ancient subjects is shown by his paintings “Diana and Callisto” and especially - full of life“Bacchanalia” (Madrid), “Bacchus and Ariadne” (National Gallery, London).

Titian. Bacchus and Ariadne. 1520-1522

To what high perfection the skill of depicting the naked body was brought can be judged by the numerous “Venuses” (the best in Florence, in the Uffizi) and “Danaes”, which are striking in their convexity of shape and power of color.

Titian. Bacchanalia. 1523-1524

Titian knew how to impart noble vitality and beauty even to allegorical images. Among the excellent examples of this type of painting by Titian are “The Three Ages”

His portraits of women are also excellent: “Flora” (Uffizi, Florence), “Beauty” (“La bella”) (Pitti, Florence), a portrait of Titian’s daughter Lavinia.

Titian. Flora. 1515-1520

The desire for realism of the depicted event makes itself felt in several altarpieces by Titian, including Altar of Pesaro(1519 – 1526, Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice), where exceptional mastery of composition was demonstrated.

Titian. Madonna with saints and members of the family of Pesaro (Altarpiece of Pesaro). 1519-1526

Titian uses the theme of the Holy Conversation here, however, he places the figures not frontally to the image plane (as, for example, in Giorgione’s Altar of Castelfranco), but diagonally on different levels: a group of Madonna and Child at the top right, a group with a hero worshiping her at the bottom left and kneeling members of the customer family (the Pesaro family) at the bottom right in the foreground.

Finally, Titian is of great importance as a landscape painter. Landscape plays a prominent role in many of his paintings. Titian excels in depicting the austere, simple and majestic beauty of nature.

For independent artistic development Titian's whole life was extremely successful: he did not live in a closed, narrow circle, but in wide communication with scientists and poets of that time and was a welcome guest among the rulers of the world and noble people, as the first portrait painter. Pietro Aretino, Ariosto, Duke of Ferrara Alfonso, Duke of Mantua Federigo, Emperor Charles V, who made Titian his court painter, Pope Paul III - were his friends and patrons. Over the course of a long and extremely active life with a versatility of talent, Titian created many diverse works, especially in the last 40 years, when he was helped by numerous students. Inferior to Raphael and Michelangelo in ideality and spirituality, Titian is equal to the first in the sense of beauty, and to the second in the dramatic vitality of the composition, and surpasses both in the power of painting. Titian had an enviable ability to convey the lush beauty of color, to give extraordinary life the coloration of the naked body. Therefore, Titian is considered the greatest of Italian colorists.

This wonderful brilliance of color is inextricably linked with the brilliance of the joyful consciousness of existence that permeates all Titian’s paintings. The dignified figures of the Venetians breathe with bliss and luxury, a feeling of jubilation and balanced, complete, bright bliss. Even in religious paintings, Titian is struck first of all by the equanimity of pure being, the absolute harmony of feelings and the inviolable integrity of the spirit, which evokes an impression similar to that of the ancients.

Increasing the drama of images

In his earliest works, Titian clearly adheres to the Bellini style, which he maintains with particular strength and from which he completely frees himself in his mature works. In the later of them, Titian introduces greater mobility of figures, greater passion in facial expression, and greater energy in the interpretation of the plot. The period after 1540, marked by a trip to Rome (1545 – 1546), became a turning point in Titian’s work: he turned to a new type of figurative image, trying to fill it with increased drama and intensity of feelings. This is the picture EsseHomo(1543, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna) and group portrait PaulIII with nephews Alessandro and Ottavio(1546, National Gallery and Museum of Capodimonte, Naples).

Titian. Ecce homo ("Here is the man"). 1543

In 1548, summoned by the emperor, Titian traveled to Augsburg, where the imperial diet was then held; his equestrian portrait CharlesV inBattle of Mühlberg and a ceremonial portrait PhilippaII(Prado, Madrid) brought him the status of the first artist of the Habsburg court.

Titian. Equestrian portrait of Emperor Charles V on the battlefield of Mühlberg. 1548

He continued to create paintings of erotic-mythological content, such as Venus with organist, cupid and dog or Danae(Several variants).

The depth of psychological penetration also characterizes Titian’s new portraits: these are Clarissa Strozzi at the age of five(1542, State museums, Berlin), Young man with blue eyes also known as Young Englishman(Palazzo Pitta, Florence).

Titian. Portrait of a young Englishman (Portrait of an unknown man with gray eyes). OK. 1540-1545

Influence of Mannerism on Titian

In Venice, Titian's activity was concentrated primarily in the field of religious painting: he painted altarpieces, like Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence(1559, Jesuit Church).

Titian. Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence. 1559

Among his latest masterpieces are Annunciation(San Salvatore, Venice), Tarquin and Lucretia(Academy fine arts, Vienna), Crowning with Thorns (Bavarian painting collections, Munich), which mark Titian’s clear transition to the mannerist stage. great artist really brought painting “with all color” to its logical conclusion, creating a language that made it possible to experiment with new, deeply expressive means.

Titian. Annunciation. 1562-1564

This approach had a strong influence on Tintoretto, Rembrandt, Rubens, El Greco and several others major masters that time.

Titian’s last painting, not completely finished after his death, was “Pietà” (Academy, Venice), exposing the already trembling hand of a 90-year-old man, but in composition, the power of color and drama, it was remarkable to a high degree. Titian died of the plague at the age of about 90 in Venice on August 27, 1576 and was buried in the church of Santa Maria dei Frari.

In terms of tirelessness and vitality of genius, Titian is rivaled only by Michelangelo, next to whom he stood for two-thirds of the 16th century. What Raphael was to Rome, Michelangelo to Florence, Leonardo da Vinci to Milan, Titian was to Venice. He not only completed the combined efforts of previous generations of the Venetian school in a number of major works, but also brilliantly opened new era. Its beneficial influence extends not only to Italy, but spreads throughout Europe. The Dutch - Rubens and Van Dyck, the French - Poussin and Watteau, the Spaniards - Velazquez and Murillo, the British - Reynolds and Gainsborough, owe as much to Titian as the Italians Tintoretto, Tiepolo and Paolo Veronese.

Titian (1488/1490-1576) was called “The King of Painters and the Painter of Kings” during his lifetime. One of the four Titans of the Renaissance, he was born over 500! years ago, around 1477, and lived to be almost ninety years old - an incredible period for a time when the average life expectancy was only 35 years. Throughout his adult life, the master created masterpieces, which is why his legacy is so extensive.

Titian's contemporary, Giorgio Vasari, wrote that " There was no such eminent man or noble lady who would not have been touched by his brush. And in this sense there was, is not and will not be his equal among artists" There were many of them, noble persons, but Titian was alone. In the 16th century, it was believed that to be captured by Titian’s brush meant to become immortal. And so it happened.

European kings, popes, dukes, cardinals, and princes placed orders for him. Titian was not even thirty years old when he was recognized as the best among the artists of Venice!

• • Titian born into the family of a prominent political figure near Venice. The exact date of birth is unknown. The father, seeing his son's talent, sent him to study mosaic art and painting in Venice
  • The artist became the founder and master psychological portrait, reflecting not just the customer’s appearance, but his character and soul

    “Portrait of a Young Woman” by Titian. Around 1536. Hermitage (St. Petersburg)

  • Titian earned fame masters of color, achieving a huge number of shades, halftones and transition zones on his canvases. This is what became one of the secrets of his skill
  • Many influential figures of that time, including cardinals, popes and monarchs, tried to order their portrait from him.
  • The artist developed a new way and manner of painting, overlaying oil paints onto the canvas with a brush, spatula or just your finger. Previously, paintings were not painted on canvas. Before him, frescoes or paintings on boards were traditionally painted, like Russian icons, but in Venice there was a humid climate and frescoes, paintings on boards were not durable. We see Titian's innovation everywhere - for more than 500 years, the main method of painting has been canvas and oil paints

    “Madonna and Child in a Niche” by Titian. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow)

  • The Spanish and French kings invited Titian to come and live at court, but the artist, having completed his orders, always returned to his native Venice
  • When Titian was painting a portrait of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, he accidentally dropped his brush, and the emperor did not hesitate to stand up and hand it to the artist, saying: “ Even an emperor would be honored to serve Titian. »
  • Emperor Charles V surrounded his beloved artist with honor and respect and said more than once: “ I can create a Duke, but where will I get a second Titian? »
  • Titian did not like to depict thin women; he loved stateliness and portly beauty. His beauties often wear red-golden hair

    “Self-Portrait” 1567. Prado Museum (Madrid)

  • Art critics note that the late Titian was distinguished by some kind of incompleteness, almost negligence. One day he was commissioned to paint “The Annunciation.” Having completed the work, the painter signed it with the words in Latin: “Titian did it.” However, it seemed to the customers that the painting was not finished, and they demanded to “bring it to mind.” The proud Venetian added one more word to the signature, as a result of which the phrase appeared on the picture: “Titian did it, he did it.” In the original Latin it looked like this: “Titianus fecit fecit”
  • Titian was practically not ill even before last days he didn't stop working. The artist died of the plague in Venice, contracted from his son
  • His last work was Lamentation of Christ, which Titian wrote for his own tombstone feeling close to death

    Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (Venice), where Titian is buried

  • Having lived for almost 90 years, the artist retained clarity of mind, sharpness of vision and steadiness of hand to the end. On the day of his death (at that time the plague was raging in Venice), he completed the painting “The Lamentation of Christ,” signing it with a firm hand, “Titian did.” They say that on this day he ordered the table to be set for many people, but he was alone. It was as if he was saying goodbye to the shadows of his teachers and friends, who had not been in the world for a long time : Giovanni Bellini and Giorgione, Michelangelo and Raphael, Emperor Charles V. He said goodbye to them, but did not have time to start the last meal. He was found lying on the floor with a brush in his hand.
  • Contrary to laws requiring the burning of the bodies of those who died from the plague, Titian was buried in the Venetian Cathedral of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (translated into Russian: St. Mary of the Word or Assumption of the Virgin Mary). On the painter’s grave there is a grandiose monument and the words are carved: « Here lies the great Titian Vecelli - rival of Zeus and Apelles»

• • In the church where Titian is buried there is his greatest masterpiece: the altar image “Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Assunta)”. Titian himself wanted his own “Lamentation of Christ” to hang over his grave (now located in the Accademia Gallery (Venice). 200 years after Titian’s death, by order of the Austrian Emperor Ferdinand I, a monument was created in the Baroque style from Carrara marble. In the center of the monument is a statue of Titian, to his left is Nature, to his right is Knowledge. Figures near the columns: to the left of Titian are Painting and Sculpture, to the right are Graphics and Architecture. Two sculptures of emperors are located below: on the left, Ferdinand I of Austria and on the right, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The bas-reliefs of the monument are reminiscent of the masterpieces of Titian. Behind Titian himself, his most important masterpiece is “The Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Assunta),” which is located in the same cathedral.
    Giant-sized canvas “Assumption of the Virgin Mary or Assunta” by Titian 1516-1518 Cathedral of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (Venice)

    To the left of the artist is his “Martyrdom of St. Peter,” located in Verona, to the right, “Martyrdom of St. Lawrence,” located in the Church of the Gesuiti in Venice. Top right is the bas-relief “Meeting of Mary and Elizabeth”, top left is “Descent from the Cross”. At the top of the monument - symbol of Venice - the Lion of St. Mark with the coat of arms of the House of Habsburg

    “Assumption of the Virgin Mary or Assunta” by Titian 1516-1518 in the interior of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (Venice)

  • A crater on Mercury is named after Titian
  • One of the shades of red hair is named after Titian, who depicted him in many portraits of women.
  • Titian's "Venus of Urbino" inspired Edouard Manet to create his famous "Olympia"
  • In the Hermitage there is a whole room of Titian's masterpieces. It is located in a building called the Great (or Old) Hermitage. Hall number 221
  • At the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts(Moscow) two paintings by Titian are presented in the permanent exhibition: room No. 7 of the main building of the museum on Volkhonka, 1st floor

Recently, another painting by Titian has appeared in Russian collections. “Venus and Adonis,” an author’s copy of Titian’s world-famous painting on the same theme from the Prado Museum in Spain, belongs to the Russian charitable foundation “Classics.” This work of the great master was discovered by the chief Researcher The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Doctor of Art History Victoria Markova.

Previously, it was considered a painting by an artist from Titian’s circle, and it was in this capacity that it was acquired by the Classics Foundation. The film was first shown to Russian audiences at exhibition “Venice of the Renaissance. Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese”at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in the summer of 2017

Titian. Ascension. (1516-1518)

In the year four hundred and fifty-one, the Byzantine empress Pulcheria built a magnificent temple in honor of the Virgin Mary in Blachernae, the northern region of Constantinople. Pulcheria turned to Patriarch Juvenal in Jerusalem with a request to take the relics of the Mother of God from Gethsemane in order to keep the shrine in the new church. Patriarch Juvenaly replied that this was impossible, because there were no relics of the Mother of God, because the Blessed Virgin was ascended to heaven.

Indeed, the tomb in Gethsemane served as the tomb of the Blessed Virgin for only three days.

According to legend, the place of the Dormition of the Mother of God was the Zion Upper Room, the same house where the Last Supper took place, where on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and the Mother of God. The Lord accepted the soul of the Virgin Mary and ascended Her to heaven. The apostles Peter, Paul, James and others raised the bed on which the body of the Virgin Mary lay and headed to Gethsemane. Here, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, righteous Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary, once bought a plot of land. A tomb was built on it, in which the parents of the Most Holy Theotokos and the righteous Joseph the Betrothed found their rest.

The solemn funeral procession went through all of Jerusalem. Saint John the Theologian carried ahead a date branch from the tree of paradise. It was presented to the Virgin Mary by the Archangel Gabriel three days before the Assumption. The branch shone with heavenly light. According to legend, a cloudy circle appeared over the procession - something like a crown. Everyone sang, and it seemed that the heavens echoed the people. The people of Jerusalem were amazed at the grandeur of the funeral of a simple woman.

The Pharisees ordered the procession to be dispersed and the body of the Virgin Mary to be burned. But a miracle happened - a shining crown hid the procession. The soldiers heard footsteps and singing, but saw no one.

According to legend, the Apostle Thomas was unable to get to Jerusalem to say goodbye to the Mother of God. He was very sorry that he did not receive the last blessing of the Most Pure Virgin. Then the disciples decided to open the tomb so that Thomas could say goodbye to the Mother of God. They rolled away the stone, but the tomb was empty...

In bewilderment and excitement, the apostles sat down together for the evening meal. One seat at the table was traditionally free. The apostles left it for their Christ, who was invisibly present among them. The bread, left at an unoccupied place, was then broken among everyone as a gift and blessing. So this time they raised the bread to share it with the prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, help us!” The apostles looked up and saw the Most Pure Virgin Mary surrounded by many angels. The Mother of God greeted them and blessed them: “Rejoice! I am with you all the days!” The apostles exclaimed: “ Holy Mother of God, help us! They became the first witnesses that the Mother of God did not leave the world. “At Christmas you preserved your virginity, at the Dormition you did not forsake the world to the Mother of God...” - the troparion reminds us - the chant of the Feast of the Assumption.