Marian Pilgrimage - Our Lady of Grace by the Pillar in St Paul’s

St Paul’s Cathedral is the next stage on the Pilgrimage. Although I am sure there were a number of images of Our Lady in the medieval cathedral the one that appears to have attracted particular popular devotion, and the interest of the original compiler of the modern itinerary was the statue of Our Lady of Grace by the Pillar. This was towards the eastern end of the nave on the south side of the arcade, and just before the crossing. 

My post about it from last year, with links to my previous pieces about the shrine, can be seen at Marian Pilgrimage - Our Lady of Grace by the Pillar in St Paul’s

As I thought about this article today I realised that I knew little about the history of this title of Our Lady and its imagery. The internet yielded something, but not as much as I expected. 

The title is the oldest given to the Virgin, deriving from Gabriel’s Salutation to her. 

Wikipedia has an article at Our Lady of Grace which discusses the title and concentrates in particular on the shrine at Ipswich, which we shall visit later on this month, and which is first recorded in 1152. Since the late thirteenth century the Augustinian friars have invoked the Virgin under this title. Fr Herbert Thurstan does not especially reference the title in his article Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Catholic Encyclopaedia, which is perhaps surprising. 

The title does appear to have been bestowed upon miraculous icons that were enshrined in several continental churches in the late medieval period. These were often of the Virgin and Child, but today the image of Our Lady of Grace is of the Virgin standing alone with her arms extended and light proceeding from the rings on her hands. Those that do not emit light are the graces that the faithful do not request. It is the image of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and Our Lady of Lourdes, There seems alas to be no record of what the image in St Paul’s was like, or indeed if it was a statue or a painting.

May Our Lady of Grace by the Pillar in St Paul’s pray for the Papal Conclave and for the election of a wise and holy Pope