The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 13 : § 11.5-7 > § 12.1

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

The four Cherubim

 5   The four Cherubim controlling the chariot will be, if you like, the blessed Spirits who took a most particular care of the glorious Virgin in the course of her mortal life; or, if you want, the four Evangelists in charge of the chariot of glory of the Son and the Mother together. If you prefer, they will be the principal groups[1] of the Church:

 

    • the Prophets, the Apostles and the Evangelists – represented by the Eagle; 

    • the Bishops, the Prelates and the Doctors – symbolised by the Man; 

    • the Martyrs, the Confessors and the Virgins – signified by the Ox, destined for the sacrifice; and 

    • the Emperors, the Kings and other Princes who protect the Church – represented by the Lion, who is the King of beasts. 

These groups all honour the chariot of the glory of God by following and accompanying it, and they all merit the name of Seraphim because they have their properties and qualities. They fly with two wings, which are faith and knowledge. Their sound astonishes the universe and can be heard in all four corners of the Earth. With their two other wings, they cover human wisdom which is eclipsed by that of God. They move like flashes of lightning, inasmuch as the brilliance of their teaching and their exemplary life reveals itself and is admired everywhere. They are all eyes and lights, 

forasmuch, says St Macarius of Alexandria[2], as the soul that draws near to God and is illumined by the glory of His beauty, acquires clear sightedness and radiance, banishing from itself shadows and darkness.

Finally, if you will, the Cherubim are the four cardinal virtues of the blessed Virgin, which never left her; or even the four principal qualities of divine Providence, by which she was guided at every moment.

Footnotes

[1] groups: the French text has états, which would historically be translated by the word estates, defined by the OED as: A class, rank, order, or group of people in a community or nation; (also) the members of a class or rank considered collectively. Now rare.

[2] Homil. 1.

The crystal Firmament and the fire

   

 6    The crystal Firmament[1] which shone with a thousand beautiful diamonds and on which the Saviour of the world set His throne, may perhaps be understood as representing the sublime Majesty of the King of Heaven, or even His royal dignity, or the power that He received from His Father, or indeed the glory of His triumph. The fire that goes before Him is a sign of His divinity, according to the judgement of all the nations of the world and all the writers, be they sacred or profane.

Footnotes

[1] See, e.g., Ezech. i. 22: And over the heads of the living creatures was the likeness of the firmament, as the appearance of crystal terrible to behold, and stretched out over their heads above.

The King who is in the Chariot

 7    Finally, the triumphant Prince borne by this Chariot is none other than the Word Incarnate, whose splendour is so magnificent and whose glory so extraordinary as to resemble fiery, molten metal. Have you eyes to see the divine furnace blazing within His heart with love that cannot be extinguished? Have you noticed those near Him, representing His feelings which are on fire with love? Can you see the rainbow over His throne symbolising clemency, for He came not to spread fear throughout the world but to be glorified through the gentle effects of His infinite mercy? 

He is truly the Chariot of Israel and the driver thereof[1], which I am happy to proclaim and with greater justification than the Prophet Eliseus had long ago! O Chariot: brighter than crystal, more brilliant than the firmament, more holy than all the altars in the world, more sublime than the Empyrean[2]! O Chariot: a thousand times blessed for having had the honour of bearing the King of glory, and of containing Him whom all the Heavens cannot encompass! O Chariot: even more wondrous than that of Elias[3] for you have not been used to transport a mortal man into some region unknown but have served to bring an immortal God from Heaven down to earth so that He might walk among us! O chariot: serving as honour’s bed for all the beautiful souls who pass on from this vale of tears to the abode of eternal joy, please receive us at the end of our earthly sojourn and convey us up into the bosom of immortality. 

Divine Charioteer: Thou dost steer the Chariot of the universe with the reins of Thy secret but infallible Providence! Divine Charioteer: Thou hast guided the Chariot of Thy glory, Thy blessed Mother, along ways incomprehensible to men and Angels! Divine Charioteer: in Thy hands are our lives and our destinies, with all the good things we might ever hope for; be pleased to receive us in the number of those whom Thy love leads through the vicissitudes of this life, setting us on the path to that place of rest where Thou mayest be seen and adored, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever.

Footnotes

[1] 4 Kings (2 Kings). ii. 12.

[2] The highest or most exalted part or sphere of heaven; (in ancient cosmology) the sphere of the pure element of fire; (in Christian use) the abode of God and the angels.

[3] 4 Kings (2 Kings). ii. 11.

§ 12. She is the Crown of all the Saints

 1    I realise this is one of the titles that the Church gives to the King of glory Incarnate, but I am also aware that it is commonly said of the most sacred Virgin that, by reason of her being Mother, Spouse and Queen regnant, she should enjoy the titles and privileges of the King, her Spouse and her Son. I feel, moreover, that I can also say this on the authority of the Holy Fathers who have honoured her with this name. Saint Ephrem, in a sermon he gave in her praise, calls her the Crown of Virgins and of all the Saints. Saint Bernardine of Siena names her[1] the Glory and the Crown of the Just. In his commentary on the following words of King David the Prophet[2]: Thou shalt bless the Crown of the year of thy goodness, Saint Bonaventure[3] remarks that:

We can distinguish three sorts of years that are quite different from each other. The first is the year of patience, the second that of justice and the third that of kindness. The first is for those who are being put to the test in this world, the second for those who are being punished in the next world and the third for those who are rewarded in heaven. The first is composed of days and nights, the second is one continual night without day, and the third one continual day without night. The days and the nights of the first year represent the good and the bad who are completing the course of their mortal pilgrimage; the nights without days in the second are the unrepentant sinners who are suffering in torment in the centre of the earth; the days without nights of the third are the just who receive their reward on high. In the first, the good and the bad are put to the test, intermingled with each other; in the second the bad, having been separated from the good, suffer eternal punishment; in the third, the good who have been removed from the company of the bad are crowned for eternity.

The Blessed Virgin is the Crown of this third year of gentleness and kindness: I maintain that she is the Crown for all the days of this year inasmuch as she is the Crown of all the Saints of whom this year is composed. Just as the Crown is placed on the head of the victor, in the same way the Virgin is, so to speak, on the head of each of the Saints, forasmuch as she is higher in grace and glory than all of them as they are as individuals. Strictly speaking, even though the Saviour is the highest and the most resplendent of all the Crowns of the Saints, Mary is nevertheless the second Crown, being immediately under her Son.

Footnotes

[1] T. II, Serm. 51, art. 2, c. 2.

[2] Ps. LXIV. 12.

[3] Speculi B. Virg., c. 12.

👑       👑       👑

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