Chapter 12 : The Eleventh Star or Splendour of the Crown of Excellence of the Mother of God
Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr François Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).
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| Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020) |
She has been and is still recognized and called blessed by all generations in the world
§ 6. She has been recognized and honoured by all the Orders, firstly by the Military orders
The Order of the Vase of Our Lady
13 Ferdinand, Infante[1] of Castile and Duke of Portugal, acquired the nickname Infante of Antequera on account of his conquering this Moorish stronghold in 1410 (or 1413, as some say), more than fifteen thousand enemies of the Christians being slain in the battle. To preserve the memory of this famous victory which he gained thanks to the Holy Virgin, he founded Our Lady’s Order of the Vase. The device of the Order incorporated a vase of lilies and a griffin[2]. The Order moved from Castile to Aragon and continued under Ferdinand’s descendants.
Footnotes
[1] Infante: A son of the king and queen of Spain or Portugal other than the heir to the throne (who is called principe).
[2] griffin: A mythical creature typically depicted with the head, wings, and talons of an eagle and the body and hindquarters of a lion. They were associated with the protection of treasured possessions.
The Order of the Golden Fleece
14 In the year 1429[1], Philippe, Duke of Burgundy married Isabella, daughter of King Juan of Portugal. The first day of his nuptials was the 10th of January, and on that day he created in Bruges (his native town) the first Knights of the Golden Fleece, doing this unto the glory of God, in reverence of His Mother and in honour of the blessed Apostle St Andrew. So say the letters instituting this Order[2]. Although the majority of commentators think this Fleece refers to ancient tale of Jason and the Argonauts, others think it is just as or even more likely that Ferdinand had in mind Gedeon’s fleece[3], a true figure symbolizing the MOTHER OF GOD as I have already shown in Chapter III above.
Footnotes
[1] Jacob Meyerus, lib. XVI, an. Flandriæ ad an. 1429.
[2] Datæ insulis, an. 1431, 27 Novemb.
[3] Judges vi. 36-40.
The Military order of the Virgin Mary of Mt Carmel
15 In the year 1607, Henry the Great, of happy memory, founded the Military Order of the Virgin Mary of Mt Carmel which was approved by Pope Paul V in that same year. It was composed of one hundred French gentlemen noted for their noble extraction who were to serve as an elite company of bodyguards for His Majesty in the event of future wars. They were to wear on the left hand side of their capes a cross in velvet or brushed satin anchored to a silver orle. In the centre of the cross was an image of the Holy Virgin surrounded by golden rays, all done in embroidery. Around the neck was a ribbon of brushed satin, with a golden cross anchored[1], having on either side of the centre an enamelled image of the Holy Virgin. Their patroness and protectress was Our Lady of Mt Carmel whose feast they were to observe every year on the 16th day of July[2]. Every day they were required to say the Office of the Holy Virgin or the rosary. The rest of their rules may be found in the Bull of institution.
Footnotes
[1] “It is called a cross anchored because its extremities turn back like the flukes of an anchor.” 1828, OED.
[2] The French text has le sixième or the sixth, but this may be a copyist’s error for le seizième or sixteenth. The feast was assigned to 16 July because on that date in 1251, according to Carmelite traditions, the scapular was given by the Blessed Virgin to St. Simon Stock; it was first approved by Sixtus V in 1587.
The Orders of the Sacred Militia and the Christian Militia of the Immaculate Conception
16 The year 1615 saw the foundation of the Order of the Sacred Militia against the infidels, placed under the special protection of the glorious Virgin and St Francis. It was instituted on the initiative of the three Petrignani brothers who were Italian gentlemen from Spello. The device of their Order was a cross in sky-blue satin, embroidered with silver threads; in the centre was a roundel which contained the letters S and M crowned, signifying Sancta Maria, meaning Holy Mary; around this were the words In hoc signo vincam, meaning In this sign I shall be victorious. Outside the roundel and between the limbs of the cross were twelve rays in silver representing the twelve Apostles; on each limb were nine silver marks recalling the nine choirs of Angels and each limb terminated with fleurons[1] of lilies done in the Italian and German style, signifying that the Order was founded in honour of the Holy Virgin who is the true Lily of Paradise. Next to the four sets of fleurons were four stars surrounded with rays. In the year 1619[2], Giovanni Battista Petrignani travelled to France to invite members of the French nobility to join the Order. He also travelled to Germany where he met the most Serene Duke of Nevers who is today the Duke of Mantua, Charles de Gonzague. He, together with the Count of Atham, the second of the Petrignani brothers and several German lords, founded another Order on the model of the one I have just described. This took place on the 8th of March some four leagues from the city of Vienna in Austria, in the middle of the countryside. In this way the Petrignani Order was taken over by this second one and the man chiefly responsible for its foundation was the most Serene Duke of Mantua. He was confirmed and the Order’s rules and ordinances were approved by Pope Paul V and afterwards by Urban VIII, under the title of the Christian Militia of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin. Her image was placed in the centre of the Order’s device, replacing the crowned letters S and M.
Footnotes
[1] fleuron: a flower-shaped ornament or decoration.
[2] 1619: The French text has six (six) instead of seize (16), presumably a copyist’s error.
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SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.
The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
© Peter Bloor 2024
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