The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 13 : § 12.7-9

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

§ 12. She is the Crown of all the Saints

The Blessed Virgin is the joy of the Saints

 7   If the Blessed Virgin is the Crown of the Saints through being their honour and their glory, she is no less so for being a cause of sweet rejoicing for them. This is what the blessed Martyr Methodius[1] was getting at when he called her our ineffable joy; what Saint Gregory of Nazianzus[2] had in mind when he called her the source of happiness for men; when Saint Ephrem[3] said she was the source of refreshment for Saints and the most wondrous adornment of the celestial Hierarchies; when Saint Ildephonsus wrote that she was the ineffable reward of the Blessed, adding that those amongst God’s people who have taken her most sincerely as their Mother think about her unceasingly, without yet having the joy of seeing her; and when Saint Bonaventure[4] called her the solace, the joy and the sovereign good of Heaven’s subjects, after God Himself.

This is what prompted Saint Ildephonsus[5], SaintAnselm[6], Sophronius[7], Peter Damien[8], Saint Bernard and many others to say[9]:

On the day of the Assumption when the glorious Virgin entered Heaven, the whole of Paradise was filled with joy. This spirit of unparalleled rejoicing entered into the Church Militant, which commemorates each year the solemnity of this day. It was then that the Saviour of the world set His tabernacle in the heart of the Sun[10], showing Himself to all those of His household as more filled with joy and happiness than the Spouse in His nuptial chamber. It was then that Heaven welcomed a new star, and a sweet recrudescence of inexplicable happiness

This is what led Saint Bonaventure[11] to say that:

Not the least privileges of the MOTHER OF GOD is that, after her beloved Son and after the most August Trinity, she is the cause of the greatest rejoicing for the Blessed in Heaven.

The pious Caesarius[12] was moved to say that: 

amongst creatures, there is none comparable in holiness, in worthiness and excellence to Mary; in the same way, of all the delights that the Saints enjoy in Heaven – after those derived from God Himself – there is nothing that approaches the joy they feel at the sight and presence of the Queen of Angels.

Finally, the learned Francis Mayron, known in his day as Doctor Illuminatus, stated that[13]:

The morning Star promised in the second chapter of the Apocalypse[14] is nothing else than the sight of the most blessed face of the Holy Virgin.

Footnotes

[1] Orat. in Hypapante.

[2] Tragoed. de Christo patiente.

[3] Orat. de Laudibus Virg.

[4] Lib. de Virginitate Mariæ.

[5] Ildefons., Serm. 2 de Assumpt.

[6]S. Anselmus, de Excellentia Virg., c. 8.

[7] In Cantico : Te Matrem Dei laudamus.

[8] Damianus, Serm. de Assumpt.

[9] In Litaniis.

[10] Ps. XVIII. 6.

[11] Speculi B. Virg., c. 16.

[12] Lib. VII Exempl., c. 1.

[13] Serm. de Creatione animæ Virginis.

[14] Apoc. ii. 28.

 8   To hear the prophet Isaiah[1] speaking, you would say that he came from Paradise to describe the magnificence of God’s house; in this respect, the most powerful and the most attractive statement he makes is the following: Those eyes shall look up on the king in his triumph and in his perfect beauty. In the sixth chapter of Numbers, God Himself prescribes for Aaron and his children the formula with which they are to bless the people and He finds no formula more pleasing than the following: The Lord shew His face to thee, and have mercy on thee. The Lord turn His countenance to thee, and give thee peace[2]. As if to reinforce this idea, when the same prophet Isaiah is chasing the wicked who profane the holiest places, he finds nothing more fitting to say than this: May the wicked one depart! May he never be admitted to look up on the glorious face of God[3]. 

In truth, the sight of this adorable face is what constitutes Paradise; it is in this that the Saints find the fulfilment of their yearnings, and the more they contemplate this face, the more the desire to contemplate it increases. I would declare that this represents for the Saints their ultimate felicity and it is so intense that if one drop of it could fall into hell, it would immediately create a Paradise. It is as though our great God, after having given everything, gave Himself and yet wanted to show outside of Himself a sign of His greatness. He placed in the midst of heaven two dazzling gemstones: two faces so perfect – I mean those of the Word’s Sacred Humanity and of the Blessed Virgin – so that the sight of these two faces might transport the Blessed out of themselves and cause their souls to forget every other created beauty.

Footnotes

[1] His eyes shall see the king in his beauty: Isaiah xxxiii. 17.

[2] Num. vi. 25-26.

[3] Isaiah lix. 2.

 9   King Louis XI[1] sought the Infanta Joana, Princess of Portugal, as a wife for his son Charles, the Dauphin. When they brought the portrait of the Infanta and unveiled it before the King, he genuflected on both knees, adoring the infinite majesty of God who had so honoured his days as to produce such a perfect image of His sovereign beauty. For my part, I knew an honourable Lord who, having seen the painting of the Annunciation in Florence, would frequently say afterwards that one of the things that for him would make hell utterly intolerable was the thought that he would be forever deprived of the sight of her whose painting alone had won over his heart. Now, if the portrait of a mortal creature, or rather of mortal beauty, can have such power over our minds and hearts, what would be the effect of the original, whose beauty would be beyond the ability of all the painters in the world to portray, even in the slightest detail? It is quite something to say to someone that he will never get to look upon the face of God; it is the only pronouncement which has within it everything that can plunge a soul into the depths of regret and despair. In my case, I confess that I do not know how I would react if I were the poor wretch struck by such a judgement. I do not even want to receive the lesser penalty by being told that: Never ever wilt thou see the sweet face of the MOTHER OF GOD. If ever I were told this, I would hate my life as much as hell itself, and there would be nothing whatsoever that could wipe away my tears or console me in my sobbing. My heart would be given over to unceasing sighs, and I would exile myself into the remotest depths of some dark cave, there to offer in sacrifice the remainder of my days in grief and sadness.

Footnotes

[1] Vasconcellus, in Joann.

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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

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 13 : § 12.2-6

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

§ 12. She is the Crown of all the Saints

The Crown’s two principal meanings

 2   Now, in order to approach this subject in a way that it deserves, I should like us to note at the outset that throughout history the Crown has been used principally to signify two things: namely, honour and jubilation. With regard to the first of these, I am referring to what is written in the fifth chapter of the book of Lamentations by Jeremiah[1], where the King Josiah is called the Crown on the head of Israel, and similarly in other places where it is said[2], for example, that wisdom and experience are the Crown of old men, that children are the Crown of their fathers, and that fathers in a reciprocal way are the Crown of their children[3]; that a diligent woman is a Crown to her husband[4], and that worthy people will be like so many crowns and adornments in the hands of God[5].

With regard to the second signification (jubilation), I see a connection with the crowns of gold used to adorn the front of Temple when Judas Machabeus celebrated with unparalleled solemnity the dedication of the new altar that he had erected[6]; and generally with all the crowns used in ancient times during the games and festivals, whether public or private. I wanted to make this clear at the beginning before launching our discussion in which I aim to show that by this double title the MOTHER OF GOD is called the Crown of all the Saints, forasmuch as she is both the honour of all of them and the jubilation of the Holy City.

Footnotes

[1] The crown is fallen from our head: Lam. v. 16.

[2] Much experience is the crown of old men. Ecclus. xxv. 8.

[3] Children's children are the crown of old men: and the glory of children are their fathers. Prov. xvii. 6.

[4] A diligent woman is a crown to her husband: Prov. xii. 4.

[5] And thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Isai. lxii. 3.

[6] See 1 Machab. iv. 57 and  2 Machab. x. 2.

The Holy Virgin is the Honour of Heaven and the Saints

 3   I am proclaiming that she is their honour and in saying this I am following the Saviour by whom she was called the glory of the Angels and of all the Saints, as we learn from the revelations of Saint Bridget.

The Angel who was teaching this blessed widow revealed to her one day how God, after casting down to hell the apostate spirits, and after confirming in grace and glory the others who had persevered in His service, revealed to the latter certain wonders in the mirror of His divine face. He showed them the principle and the sovereign essence of all things, from whom they derived wisdom, intellectual discernment, strength and all the other good qualities they possessed. He promised them, moreover, that the seats left empty by the rebels’ disobedience would one day be filled through the obedience of men. After this, He brought to their attention a throne which was higher than theirs by an almost infinite distance: so high, in fact, that it seemed to them almost impossible any other could be closer to the throne of His Majesty than this one. At the same time, He explained to them that this seat had been prepared for the blessed Mother of the Word Incarnate. They noticed on this very throne there was a Crown so dazzling that, after the King of Kings who is the honour and glory of Heaven, there was nothing from which Paradise received more splendour and beauty than from this Crown and from her on whose head it was to be placed. This was so truly the case that they understood the glory coming back to God for having created them, when compared with that which He received from this noble creature, was nothing more than a little spark in comparison with the Sun. This made them feel such great joy that the delight they took in the memory of their own creation was made to fade away in comparison. 

 4   On another occasion, the same Angel showed the Saint the throne of God surrounded by crowns,

amongst which there were three from which His Majesty seemed to receive greater honour and satisfaction than all the rest. The first was power – with which He had created the Angels in a state of grace and beauty, from which they fell through their own fault. The second was goodness – with which He had produced man in a state of innocence, from which he fell through his disobedience and through the wiles of Satan. Even though in both cases the end had been the glory of God and they had fallen away from the path leading to the end for which they had been destined, she understood quite clearly that their disgrace took nothing away from the luminous splendour either of God’s power or His goodness. Even though this splendour might seem to have suffered thereby, she understood that the third Crown, which was the infinite wisdom with which God had prepared the blessed Virgin to rebuild what had been ruined by others, shone with such resplendent brightness as to be able to restore what had been lost.

 5   These crowns bring to mind the memory of a fourth that was shown to the same Saint[1], if indeed it was another rather than one represented more distinctly.

She saw the MOTHER OF GOD wearing a dress made of cloth of gold more resplendent than the Sun, over which she wore a great blue mantle studded with stars. Her hair flowed loosely over her shoulders and on her head she wore an imperial crown with seven beautiful lilies, interspersed with as many precious stones. St John the Baptist, who was near the holy widow, explained to her that the cloth of gold represented the Virgin’s fervent charity; the blue mantle showed how highly she esteemed celestial things, and the scorn she had for perishable things; the seven lilies represented her humility, her filial fear of the Lord, her obedience, her patience, her constancy, her gentleness and her merciful heart; the seven precious stones represented the power of the excellent qualities conferred on her; the virtues and qualities of all creatures that she possessed in a pre-eminent manner; her incomparable purity, rendering her uniquely beloved of the King of Heaven, a source of wonder to men and Angels, and a source of fear and dread to demons; her unparalleled beauty, with which God is continually glorified on high, and which causes the Blessed to rejoice unceasingly; her marvellous wisdom, which gives no less light to the Saints than the Sun does to precious stones when penetrated by its rays; her incomparable strength which can overwhelm in an instant everything seeking to oppose her plans, and can raise up anything that she judges worthy of honour; her incredible brightness, a source of light spreading throughout the length and breath of paradise; in short, the very plenitude of joy, which fills her blessed soul to overflowing, pouring into the hearts of all the friends of God.

Is it not therefore with good reason that the great patriarch of Constantinople calls her the Crown of Grace and the Diadem of beauty[1]?

Footnotes

[1] Lib. I Revel., c. 31.

[2] S. Germanus, Orat. de Nativit. B. Virg.

 6   But who could worthily portray the splendour and the glory that all Heaven receives from this masterpiece of glory? You would have to be an eyewitness to be able to say anything; and I even think that sheer wonderment would cause anyone who had this happy experience to be lost for words. No – the Crown studied with precious stones does not give more graciousness to the Royal head than the Virgin gives honour and beauty to each of the blessed. No – the Sun is nothing to the stars in comparison with what the Queen of Heaven is to the Saints. No – the Moon is not more glorious when pursuing its course through the stars on a clear and peaceful night than the MOTHER OF GOD is seen to be worthy of wonder and full of majesty in the midst of the Saints, who are like as many precious stones on her Royal Crown. Yes – the Saints are like so many precious stones set in the crown of the Queen of Heaven. 

If the blessed Simeon Salus, at the moment when his soul was about to leave his body, was invited by an Angel to go and receive from God not one crown but as many crowns as the number of souls he had set on the path to eternal salvation, what must we not then believe would be the case with the MOTHER OF GOD who opened up Paradise for all those whom the Saviour had redeemed with His precious blood? The holy Abbot Rupert hits the mark when he applies[1] to the Mother of all the children of salvation the words of the Spouse in the Canticles: Come from Libanus, my spouse, come from Libanus, come: thou shalt be crowned from the top of Amana, from the top of Sanir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards[2]. According to this great man’s judgement, it is as though He were saying to her:

The Kingdoms of this world are like so many mountains, but mountains that have served as dens and lairs for lions and leopards, meaning for the demons and powers of the world who yield nothing in their pride and rapacious cruelty to these animals who devour their prey alive. Nevertheless, it is from the summit of these mountains that thy Crown is going to be enriched, for in proportion to the belief they will have in Him whom thou hast born within thy sacred womb, they will be changed into precious stones and into true heavenly diamonds. Their conversion will be thy Crown, in such a way that thou wilt be in Heaven the Queen of Saints, and on earth, the Queen of all the kingdoms of the world; and wherever they sing of the King of glory, thy most beloved Son, what David sang[3] of Him: that He hath been crowned with glory and honour; and hath been set over the works of His Majesty’s hands, they will also proclaim that thou art the Mother and the Spouse of this crownéd King, and in consequence the Queen of Heaven and of all the Kingdoms subject thereto. In acknowledgement of this, Kings and Emperors will lay their crowns at thy feet, and will consecrate to thee their palaces, their realms and their Empires, ceasing by this means to be what they previously were: namely dens and lairs for lions and leopards.

Footnotes

[1] Lib. III in Cant.

[2] Cant. iv. 8.

[3] Ps. VIII. 6-7.

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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

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.

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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

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 13 : § 11.3-4

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

 3   We need only open the book of the Prophet Ezechiel to learn there that what we have just been considering was the triumphal Carriage or Chariot of God’s glory[1]. Although it may be described there in greater detail than anywhere else, anyone who cares to examine the Sacred Scriptures, especially Psalms LXVII[2] and LXXVI[3], the first chapter of the Canticle of Canticles[4], the third in Habacuc[5] and several other places, will find that God is often represented as a great Emperor marching in pomp and triumph after scattering His enemies. Immediately after He had won the remarkable victory over Pharaoh, King of Egypt, by engulfing him in the waters of the Red Sea, He revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai His triumphal chariot. He ordered him to use this as a template and to make a copy which would be kept in the Sanctuary, as we read in chapter xxv of Exodus. 

The Ark of the Covenant represented the Chariot of God’s glory and triumph, according to the opinion of the holy Doctors. It is also easy to demonstrate this, however, firstly by the figure of the Ark which was borne on four golden spheres as on four wheels, accompanied by Cherubim, as by the foremost Captains and the principal instruments of God’s conquest, bearing the tokens of the victory He had gained, and the arms of the victorious Princes, and honoured above all by the Majesty of the Victor seated upon the Propitiatory, no more or less than as on the throne of ivory[6]. 

A second way of demonstrating this may be found in the first chapter of Paralipomenon[7], where it is said that King Solomon placed Cherubim in the Temple, making a likeness of the chariot with four wheels to recall the Ark of the Covenant which was formerly kept in the Tabernacle of Moses. This being the case, I may say with great confidence that there is nothing we can more fittingly call the Chariot of His glory and of his triumphs than the most glorious Virgin. If we wish to follow the thinking of the great Thaumaturgus whom I cited right at the beginning, she alone merited to bear the King of glory incarnate, the unique Victor over the world and the infernal powers. If we need to pursue this idea, we will find that she has always been the principal instrument of the victories gained by the great Conqueror from Heaven, as I intend to show more fully in Part II of this work. Another reason which convinces me that she deserves more than any other to be called the Chariot of God’s glory is that among all creatures there is none who carried forward God’s glory more than she did and none who extended the Empire of His Majesty more than she did. This is so truly the case that Saint Bernardine of Siena8 cut right to the chase when he said:

If we were to gather together all the tribute that God’s glory receives from His creatures, we would see that what is offered to Him in the actions and excellent qualities of Mary adds up to more than everything He gets from all the others together.

Footnotes

[1] Ezech. i.

[2] The chariot of God is attended by ten thousands; thousands of them that rejoice: Ps. LXVII. 18.

[3] The voice of thy thunder in a wheel. Ps. LXXVI. 19.

[4] To my company of horsemen. . . have I likened thee. Cant. i. 8.

[5] Who will ride upon thy horses: and thy chariots are salvation. Habac. iii. 8.

[6] See, e.g., 3 Kings (1 Kings) x. 18.

[7] And for the altar of incense, he gave the purest gold: and to make the likeness of the chariot of the cherubims spreading their wings, and covering the ark of the covenant of the Lord. 1 Paralipomenon (1 Chronicles): xxviii. 18.

[8] T. I, Serm. 61, art. 6, c. 4.

The four wheels of the mysterious Chariot

 4    To proceed further in our exploration of the details of this mystical chariot, I will start by saying that the four wheels represent the swift and continual movement with which the soul of the blessed Virgin was carried forward to actions promoting the glory of God. This recalls what the ancient Democritus taught: that God was a spirit enclosed within a circle of fire, showing by this that the divine nature is in a state of perpetual motion with holy actions. I might equally claim that the wheels represent the principal gifts of the Holy Spirit, carrying her with unparalleled speed to every act of charity and devotion.  Concerning these wheels, Saint Ambrose said that[1]:

they were within each other to show that among the Saints (and we can say this applies to the glorious Virgin) all the actions were of the same measure. The blessed life she enjoys at present was already enclosed within the virtuous life that she led on earth.

All the wheels went forward equally under the control of the Cherubim and of the interior spirit which moved them. They all advance without ever going backwards or to the side, to show how the holy Virgin never halted or allowed herself to be distracted in the slightest. She always continued forwards with good speed towards the heavenly Jerusalem, from the moment she received the first movement of the Holy Spirit and of divine Grace, which was like the spirit which vivified her blessed soul. The wheels incorporated Hyacinths[2] or Chrysalites[3], symbolising how the actions of this Virgin most pure were heavenly and illuminated by the golden rays of a charity most sublime. All around the wheels were eyes, like so many carbuncles[4], true symbols of the vigilance and circumspection which she showed in all things.

Footnotes

[1] Lib. III de Virg.

[2] Ancient name of a precious stone of a blue colour, probably the sapphire.

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

[4] A large precious stone of a red or fiery colour.

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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

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

The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 13 : § 10.2-5

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

§ 10. She is God’s Throne

 2    In his commentary on chapter 37 of Isaiah, the Angelic Doctor says that[1]:

Amongst all the Blessed spirits, Sacred Scripture gives to the highest orders in the hierarchy, namely the Thrones, the Cherubim and the Seraphim, the honour of serving as seat and throne for the divine Majesty. This is because of the excellent qualities peculiar to each of them: the great strength of the Thrones, the profound wisdom of the Cherubim and the ardent charity of the Seraphim.

He nevertheless follows Saint Dionysius in what he says concerning the seventh order[2] in the Celestial Hierarchy[3]:

Amongst the orders, this favour is granted in a most particular way to those spirits who appropriately have the name of Thrones. The privilege befits them in a special way for the following four reasons: The first is the high level of honour they enjoy which gives them the advantage of learning directly from God the maxims and principles necessary for the government of the world. The second is the stability they have, deriving from their special adhesion to the sovereign good; they are so powerfully attached to this that it is impossible to make them shake or waiver from it even in the slightest. The third reason is the direct access they have to the privy chamber, so to speak, of God Himself and the great familiarity with which He honours them; He uses them like His personal secretaries and through them His commandments are communicated to those other Spirits beneath them in the hierarchy. The fourth reason is the willingness and joy they show in receiving and carrying out the divine ordinances, symbolised by the way a throne is open on one side to receive the sitter.

Footnotes

[1] Isaiah. Ch 37. n758.

[2] In ascending order, i.e., the Thrones.

[3] ST I q. 108, art. 5 Reply Obj. 6.

 3    In order to convince people that it is with very good reason the Blessed Virgin is called by the Holy Fathers the Throne of God, all that is needed is to show that she possesses these qualities to an outstanding degree. There is no need to go beyond this, bearing in mind that our discussions in previous paragraphs have provided proof of this proposition. What strength, for example, may be compared to that of the Queen of Heaven, to whom God Himself gave a natural and irrevocable right over His Son? What wisdom may be compared to that of the Mother of uncreated Wisdom, who was able to draw from the living spring of all knowledge and understanding, so that the title of Queen Mother and Queen regnant that she bears is raised higher than that of the ministering spirits[1] which Saint Paul gives to all the Blessed Angels? What charity can equal that of the Mother of love, who bore the God of love within her womb for nine whole months, and who never left the side of this furnace of ardent charity throughout His thirty-four years? Where could be found merits, holiness, excellence and glory that come anywhere near the height of what is found in the MOTHER OF GOD?

It is not only in truth a miracle but the miracle of all miracles, says St John Damascene[2], that a woman should surpass the Cherubim, that she should come before the Seraphim and be placed immediately under God Himself, so that she becomes in a sense God’s Throne.

 

Where may be found the unshakeable solidity that can hold good in the way that she does? Who is there so self-assured as not to tremble in the presence of the sovereign majesty of God, before whom she alone retains her confidence, as one whose command extends throughout her Son’s Empire? What familiarity meriting the name of favour can be found anywhere that will bear comparison with that enjoyed by this peerless Spouse, without whom nothing is done in heaven or on earth, and who receives communication about everything emerging from the most august conclave of the most adorable Trinity? In short, who in the world is more open and responsive to the wishes of God than she whose heart and mind embrace them and eagerly make haste to ensure their fulfilment? 

Each of her qualities would merit further discussion, but I believe what we have said so far will be sufficient for the time being. All the privileges which I have been discussing find their correspondence in the blessed spirits, at least in a proportionate sense. It must, however, be accepted that the status she enjoys of being the MOTHER OF GOD merits for her in a special manner the privilege of being the Throne of the divinity – this being so fitting and particular to her that it cannot be attributed to any other creature.

Footnotes

[1] See for example Hebr. i.14.

[2] Orat. 5 de Nativit. Virg.

 4    In my judgement, one of the best ideas emerging from the Hebrew Doctors (it has been attributed to Rabbi Eliezer) states that from God’s throne pour forth through ten channels (which they call Sephirot), all the virtues and salutary influences that are spread on earth: whether by the Angels, or by the heavens, or the stars and heavenly bodies. There is, moreover, nothing more true than what we learn from the holy Doctors, that all the sweet graces of Heaven and all the favours from God bestowed upon men, are received first of all on the throne of His Majesty, which is the Blessed Virgin, as though in a reservoir of graces and favours. From here they are funnelled down to earth through ten great channels or pipes, which are the ten beneficent qualities of the same Virgin under the following titles : namely, MOTHER OF GOD, Redemptrix of the world, Mediatrix for men, Sovereign Lady of the universe, Help of Christians, Manageress of the Saviour’s resources, Mistress of the Church, Defence for her children, Refuge of sinners and Mother of Mercy. These titles will be considered at greater length in later chapters. The Holy Fathers have held this truth to be so far beyond any doubt that some of them have actually extended it to all the favours that God granted to men from the beginning of the world. Saint Bernardine, who yields to no one when it comes to promoting the honour of his beloved Mother, says clearly that[1]:

when we note how God stayed His arm after the sin of the first man who had deserved to be annihilated in punishment, we should realise this was out of consideration for the Mother of His beloved Son, for love of whom He pardoned this first sinner and all his posterity.

He goes even further than that and says: 

if he delivered Noah from the deluge, Abraham from the hands of the King Chodorlahomor, Isaac from the cunning plans of Ismael, Jacob from the wrath of Esau; if He led His people out of the bondage of Egypt, if He protected them from the waters of the Red Sea and from the violence of the pagan nations that had to be attacked on leaving the wilderness – all these were the result of the favourable intervention of the most sacred Virgin

In short, the whole world has a special obligation to her for all the instances of deliverance, for all the help and for all the graces granted to people even before she herself came into the world and much more since her birth.

Footnotes

[1] T. II, Serm. 61.

 5    I feel I need to draw to close here as I do not believe we can take this particular matter any further. I shall do so, however, only after praying that she who is sovereign goodness, who has done so much for this her simple creature, may help us to appreciate in our hearts all these wonders, and to pray for her glory, for our own good and in honour of her who is herself the honour of earth and of Heaven.

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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