Tower Topics ~ Summer 2001

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The Iconography of the Abbey Basilica

In an effort to provide readers with a more intimate portrait of the renewed Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, each issue of Tower Topics will present an artistic, architectural, historical or liturgical element of the church. This issue we focus on the Basilica’s iconography.

One way to approach the art of the Abbey Basilica is through its iconography.

Iconography deals with documents created in the visual arts. Literally, it means “writing in images,” so to study iconography is to “read” the meaning in the images. Iconography is concerned with the subject matter – the content – rather than the form of art.

There are three iconographic schemes represented in the frescoes and paintings of the Basilica. The first and most important concentrates on the Blessed Virgin Mary; this reflects the fact that the abbey is dedicated to Mary under title of her Immaculate Conception.

The second theme presents angels, since they are the secondary patrons of the abbey. Our motherhouse is named Engelberg (Mount Angel) and our abbey’s original name was New Engelberg.

The third focus is the life of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica. Conception Abbey is, of course, a Benedictine monastery.

Marian iconography is found in three locations: the apse (the large, semi-circular niche at the east end of the church) where the emphasis is on the Immaculate Conception; the triforium level of the nave (above the series of arches), where 14 frescoes present the life of the Blessed Virgin; the ceiling vaults, where many of the angels hold banners with Marian-related statements.

The Apse

The central Marian figure of the Basilica is the Immaculate Conception, painted on the ceiling of the apse. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception, defined in 1854, holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary was free from sin from her first moment of existence. Mary was exempt, in a unique and exceptional way, from the impact of sin. Or more positively, she was given a greater degree of grace than other humans were because of her role as the “God-bearer.” She is what we are all to be.

The iconography of the Immaculate Conception is the visual representation of a concept, not a narrative scene. The Basilica’s depiction is of the triumph of Mary over original sin, more particularly, her triumph over Satan, the cause of original sin.

In the painting of the Immaculate Conception, Mary is surrounded by a mandorla or rays of the sun. Her head is encircled by 12 stars and she stands upon a moon.

The imagery is taken from Apocalypse 12: “And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” The woman in Apocalypse brought forth a sun, who was to rule all the nations; a great battle in heaven resulted in the dragon being cast from heaven.

The woman of the Apocalypse stands atop a crescent moon, which surmounts a globe. It in turn is entwined by a serpent, which has an apple in its mouth. The serpent is taken from the story of the Garden of Eden, where Eve succumbs to the temptation of the serpent. Mary, as the New Eve, reverses Adam and Eve’s fall by bringing forth Jesus, the salvation of the world. The apple signals that the woman is triumphant not only over the apocalyptic beast but also over the serpent who is the tempter.

The Saints

Below the figure of the Immaculate Conception is a group of eight saints: Sts. Anne and Joachim the parents of Mary, are given a place of honor in the center of the group. To the left of St. Anne is St. Joseph, the spouse of Mary and the foster-father of Jesus, and to the right of St. Joachim is St. John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus and his precursor. Next to St. Joseph is St. John the Evangelist, and next to St. John the Baptist is St. Benedict. Finally, St. Anselm of Canterbury is on the far left end, while St. Augustine of Hippo stands opposite him. The composition is tied together with nine palm trees forming an arch over each of the saints; the sprinkling of various flowers suggest the Garden of Eden and Paradise.



Each of these saints is presented with some iconographical symbol and his name in Latin, with the exception of Anne, who is identified only with the legend, “St. Mater Anna” (Holy Mother Ann).



St. Joachim holds a pair of turtledoves, to be offered in the Temple at Mary’s presentation.

St. Joseph carries a flowering rod (his staff bloomed as a signal to the high priest that he was chosen to be Mary’s husband).

St. John the Baptist is presented in his camelhair clothing, with unkempt hair. He is pointing to the Lamb of God.

St. John the Evangelist is depicted with a pen and an eagle. The pen signals that he is an evangelist; the eagle testifies to John’s penetrating understanding of the divine mysteries. John the Evangelist has been identified as the “beloved disciple” to whom a dying Jesus entrusted his mother.

St. Benedict is presented with his pastoral staff and is accompanied by a raven. In St. Gregory the Great’s “Life of St. Benedict,” a raven carried away poisoned bread, thus saving Benedict’s life.

Throughout the Middle Ages and the early modern period, theologians engaged in serious debate concerning the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. The outermost saints, St. Anselm of Canterbury and St. Augustine of Hippo, are placed among the saints as witnesses to belief in the dogma.

Curiously, the teaching of neither man – taken as a whole – would support the dogma. St. Anselm appears here as an archbishop, with miter, crosier and pallium, accompanied by a basket filled with parchment rolls, signifying his importance as the theologian who wrote the Monologion, the Proslogion, the Cur deus homo, and other theological treatises.

Until 1904, a treatise entitled De conceptione sanctae Mariae (“On the Conception of Saint Mary”), which supported the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, was attributed to Anselm. It was actually written by his friend, Eadmer of Clare. Anselm’s own theology of redemption, expressed in his De conceptu virginali et originali peccato, would not allow for the Immaculate Conception since he asserted that redemption depended on the inescapable transmission of original sin at conception.

Augustine, bishop of Hippo, is depicted with miter and crosier, and in recognition of his reputation as a great theological writer, is holding a book in his hand. Inscribed on the book is the quotation from his treatise, De natura et gratia, which appears to uphold the Immaculate Conception. Translated, the text reads, “We must except the holy Virgin Mary, concerning whom I wish to raise no question, when it touches the subject of sins, out of honor to the Lord.”

Augustine, however, taught that original sin was transmitted by conjugal intercourse through inherent desire. Christ was immune because he was conceived virginally — Mary was not.

At the foot of Augustine is a small, winged figure pouring water from a shell; there is a body of water in the background. Undoubtedly, this is an illustration of the legend of the child/angel who attempted to empty the sea into a hole in the sand. When the saint dryly remarked on the futility of his effort, the child answered that it was no more hopeless than Augustine’s attempt to achieve a rational understanding of the Trinity.

The inclusion of this visual reference to an anti-rational argument perhaps indicates the superiority of revelation to reason.

Could the iconographer of the abbey basilica have wished to remind us of the futility of trying to arrive at a rational understanding of the Immaculate Conception?

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