The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 13 : § 11.1-2

Chapter 13 : The Twelfth 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).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

How she is the honour of earth and of Heaven

§ 11. She is the triumphal chariot of God’s glory

 1   I am taking this idea from the blessed Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus who, after referring to the triumphal chariot[1] that the Prophet Ezekiel saw and which is described in the first chapter of his prophecy, addresses his words to the glorious Virgin in the following manner[2]:

Most holy Virgin, it is clear that when the Prophet discerned in these mystical shadows the figure of thy beloved Son, thou wouldst never have been capable of bearing Him if thou wert not resplendent in glory and in virtue.

The words of this worthy and ancient Doctor will serve as an introduction to the following discussion in which I shall try to interpret as clearly as I can this wondrous vision of the Prophet and examine how all the elements relate to the MOTHER OF GOD.

Footnotes

[1] The vehicle with four wheels described by Ezechiel is referred to in the French text by words such as char and carrosse which can mean cart, wagon, chariot or carriage in different contexts In this translation I have opted for chariot, in the knowledge that some chariots had four wheels. See, e.g., the large ceremonial chariot with four wheels discovered in 2021. See excavations at Pompei for details.

[2] Orat. de Annuntiat.

A description of the Chariot of God’s glory, as seen by Ezechiel

Reconstruction from Fillion's illustrated
& annotated Holy Bible (1888-95). 

 2    The Prophet says that when he was in the midst of the captives on the banks of the river Chobar, he saw a whirlwind which came out of the north[1], and immediately afterwards a great cloud in which he saw a strange sight: it was the chariot of God’s Majesty, most wonderful in all its aspects. For it was borne on four great wheels, studded with precious stones known as hyacinths[2] or chrysolites[3]. Each wheel was a double wheel, or rather each wheel was intersected by another at right angles in the form of a cross, as we see in the case of the two colures[4] of a sphere; this is what the prophet meant when he said that one wheel was in another wheel. They were all of the same height, of the same likeness and all moved forward together, controlled by the Cherubim, propelled by the interior spirit which animated them and led by the perspicacious eyes round about all the four. 

At the side of these wheels were four cherubim, that is to say, one for each each wheel. Scripture calls them living creatures, inasmuch as they had the shape or at least the heads of various animals. Each of them had in the middle of the shoulders the head of a man surmounted by the head of an eagle, such as we might see on a coat of arms. From these same shoulders could be seen on the right side of the man’s head, the head of a lion; and on the left side, the head of an ox. These were so arranged that the man’s head was set right in the middle of the body and this head looked in the direction to which the whole body was turned. They also had a human body from the head downwards, except that each of their feet was like a calf’s foot. They each had four wings, two of which were folded modestly to cover the lower part of the body; the other two wings were stretched out to fly and to beat the air. These wings were so rigid and powerful that the effect was like the sound of a torrent crashing on rocks; or perhaps like an encounter between two armies where all that can be heard is the sound of trumpets, drums, the clashing of arms and lances, the thunder of cannon, the neighing of horses and the cries of the combatants: noise which could only be calmed by the voice of one seated above the firmament, and when He called for a halt, everything immediately stopped. The appearance of these living creatures was like that of burning coals of fire, and their bodies glowed like iron that has just been drawn out of the furnace. Above their heads could be seen the appearance of a crystal sky more radiant than the firmament, studded with a thousand beautiful stars; and over this was the appearance of a seat made of a huge sapphire stone, which was the throne of the King of glory, resembling bronze blazing with a fiery redness, as though He had a furnace within his chest. He was surrounded by a great light and the rays reflected from His countenance, from the bodies of the living creatures, from the celestial wheels and from the throne, seemed to blend together so as to resemble the colours of a rainbow. In front of Him was a fire of coals glowing in a great vessel shaped like a censer. This whole assembly moved with an incredible speed towards the holy City, without halting or deviating in the slightest.

There you have the figure as seen from the outside; let us now move on to explore these mysteries on the inside.

Footnotes

[1] The French text uses the word Aquilon, translating the Vulgate’s aquilo, which refers to a north or north-north-east wind.

[2] Hyacinths: from Greek ὑάκινθος, Latin hyacinthus, ancient name of a precious stone of a blue colour, probably the sapphire.

[3] Chrysolites: A name formerly given to several different gems of a green colour, such as zircon, tourmaline, topaz, and apatite.

[4] colures: Each of two great circles which intersect each other at right angles at the poles, and divide the equinoctial and the ecliptic into four equal parts.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

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.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

© Peter Bloor 2025