Girdle of Thomas

The Holy Belt is the belt of the Virgin Mary, venerated in various locations as the Virgin Mary relic.

History

According to tradition, Mary has made ​​the belt during her pregnancy made ​​of camel hair itself and the Apostle Thomas handed him to her bodily assumption into heaven in a vision. According to legend, Thomas was the only apostle who was not present at the bodily assumption of Mary into heaven. He doubted the event as already in Christ's resurrection. Therefore Mary appeared to the doubters and handed her belt as proof it.

Worship

The relic of the Holy Belt of the Virgin Mary is one of the most venerated relics of the Orthodox Christianity. He is on Mount Athos (Greece ) kept in the Vatopedi Monastery. The belt of the Virgin to cause general health and especially unintentionally help childless young.

Another relic of the sacred girdle can be found in the cathedral of Prato ( Patro in Tuscany / Italy). In 1428 Donatello and Michelozzo di Bartolomeo were entrusted with the pulpit, which is intended to show on the feast of the people of the Sacred Belt ( Belt of the Mother of God ). The Capella della Sacred Belt was created by Lorenzo di Filippo 1386-1390 and serves as a storage and place of cult for the Marian relic Holy Belt.

"Under the garments, which assumes the pious faith as yet exist, is exquisite to count her belt. For Constantin Opel was a church, which was the destination of many pilgrimages ebendeßhalb. [ ... ] However, there are also at Rome, Aachen, Bruges, Arras, Prague, Cologne, Andechs such belt of St.. Virgo. The same is probably imitated, and particles of the outlaw sewn so that their number can not be surprised. "

Art

Mary with the Holy belts are Marie representations in which the Virgin Mary is represented by the " Holy Belt ". In the Baroque period, the belt donation was a popular motif in Christian art.

Jesus as a belt dispenser

In the miraculous image of Our Lady of Consolation of St. Martin ( Freiburg Altstadt) Mary is girded with a black leather belt and the infant Jesus stretched out toward the viewer the belt. The Augustinian hermits were wont to worship the Black Belt giving Madonna mostly in the so-called Maria- by -Trost fraternities and wore the black leather belt. In Oberigling there are, for example, a so-called Maria -Trost belt Brotherhood.