the mother of god, the Virgin Mary, the Madonna; in Christian mythology the mother of Jesus Christ.
In the Gospels it is said of Mary that she was the wife of Joseph, that she immaculately conceived and gave birth to Jesus Christ, and that she was present at the execution of Jesus. The Apocrypha tell about Mary in more detail. In Christianity the cult of Mary formed under the influence of pagan cults of the mother-goddess or fertility goddess (Isis, Astarte, and others).
In the fourth century Mary was declared by Christian theologians to be “immaculate” and “ever virgin” (despite references in the New Testament to the brothers of Christ). At the Ecumenical Council of 431, Mary was officially declared the mother of god. The image of Mary proved to be more comprehensible to the masses of believers than the abstract Trinity. The cult of Mary (the “intercessor” for mankind) gained widespread popularity, especially among Catholics. Many religious holidays and icons are dedicated to Mary. Certain dogmas absent from Eastern Orthodoxy have been proclaimed in Catholicism, including in 1854 the dogma of Mary’s own immaculate conception by her mother and in 1950 the dogma of Mary’s bodily assumption (after her death) into heaven. In 1964, Pope Paul VI proclaimed Mary the “mother of the church.”
The theme of the blessed virgin and child occupies an important place in medieval art. During the Renaissance great canvasses by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and others were devoted to the image of Mary (the Madonna).
A. P. KAZHDAN
(until 1937, Merv), a city, administrative center of Mary Oblast, Turkmen SSR. Situated on the Murgab River and the Karakum Canal. Junction of railroad lines to Tashkent, Krasnovodsk, and Kushka. Population, 67,000 (1973; 8,500 in 1897; 37,000 in 1939; 48,000 in 1959).
Industry in Mary includes a big wool-washing factory, a cotton gin, a machine-building plant, a housing-construction combine, food enterprises, (a flour mill, a bakery, a meat combine, and a dairy plant), leather enterprises, and rug-making enterprises. The Mary State Regional Electric Power Plant, which is located nearby, went into operation in 1973. Mary is the site of medical and teacher-training colleges, the Museum of History and Revolution, and a drama theater.
Mary arose in 1884 as the military and administrative center of Merv District. The ruins of ancient Merv are 30 km east of the city.