The Virgin Mary is, together with the Virgin and Child, the most requested subject for a christening medal. But "a medal of the Virgin" covers very different images: Mary alone or with the Child, hands joined or pointing to her heart, crowned with roses or haloed with rays, seen from the front or in profile. This guide presents the main types of Marian medals in our collection, the meaning of each and the Latin titles they bear, to help you choose.
Medals of the Virgin at a glance
| Design | What it shows | Its meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Heart of Mary | Mary pointing to her heart, crowned with a flame | Mary's love and compassion |
| Praying Virgin, Ora Pro Nobis | Hands joined, eyes raised | Prayer, "pray for us" |
| Magnificent Virgin, Divine Virgin | Mary facing us, hands joined or arms crossed | The "yes" of the Annunciation |
| Rosa Mystica | Mary framed or crowned with roses | The "mystical rose" of the Litany of Loreto |
| Virgo Luminosa, Antique Madonna | Face surrounded by a rayed halo | The light of holiness, inherited from icons |
| Virgo Maria, Virgo Virginum, Virgin with Lilies, Young Virgin | Mary in profile | Purity, in the manner of the antique medallion |
| Miraculous Virgin, Virgo Immaculata | Mary standing, hands open downwards | The Immaculate Conception |
| The Pietà | Mary's bowed face | Contemplation, the grieving mother |
The Heart of Mary
The Virgin raises her hand to her Immaculate Heart, crowned with a flame and surrounded by rays, her other hand open as if in offering. It is one of the most intimate subjects of Marian imagery, that of compassion and tenderness; the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is celebrated the day after the feast of the Sacred Heart. Available in 18-karat yellow gold and in mother-of-pearl rimmed in gold.
The Praying Virgin
Hands joined, eyes raised to Heaven: this image of Mary in prayer is one of the most sober and timeless. It also appears under the Latin invocation Ora Pro Nobis, "pray for us", from the Hail Mary. See the Praying Virgin (gold and mother-of-pearl) and the Young Virgin Ora Pro Nobis (gold and mother-of-pearl).
The Virgin of the Annunciation
Two of our medals show Mary at the moment the angel Gabriel announces that she will be the mother of Christ, a feast the Church celebrates on 25 March. The Magnificent Virgin looks straight ahead, hands joined against her breast, between wonder and consent; the Divine Virgin, facing us, crosses her arms over her heart beneath a halo of long rays, in the gesture of the "yes". Two medals with a direct gaze, rare in Marian imagery, where the Virgin most often lowers her eyes.
Rosa Mystica, the Virgin with roses
The rose is one of Mary's flowers: Rosa mystica, "mystical rose", is one of her titles in the Litany of Loreto. Our Rosa Mystica medals show the Virgin framed or crowned with roses, a motif both floral and Marian. Two designs exist in our collection: Rosa Mystica with roses (gold and mother-of-pearl) and Rosa Mystica with a crown of foliage.
The radiant Virgin
Some designs surround Mary's face with a rayed halo, such as Virgo Luminosa (also in mother-of-pearl) or the Antique Madonna, more classical in design with a beaded halo (mother-of-pearl version). This choice recalls Byzantine imagery and ancient icons, where light signals holiness.
The Virgin in profile
Other designs choose the profile rather than the face, in a more classical vein close to the antique medallion:
- Virgo Maria (gold and mother-of-pearl);
- Virgo Virginum, "Virgin of virgins", another title from the Litany of Loreto, engraved in the halo, a bouquet of Lilies in her hand (gold and mother-of-pearl);
- the Virgin with Lilies, holding a stem of Lily, the flower of purity carried by the angel of the Annunciation;
- the Young Virgin, a girl's profile raised to Heaven, with no halo or inscription, the simplest of our Virgins.
The Immaculate Conception: Miraculous Virgin and Virgo Immaculata
Mary standing, hands open downwards, pouring out graces: this is the image of the Immaculate Conception, proclaimed a dogma in 1854 and celebrated on 8 December.
- The Miraculous Virgin, in 18-karat yellow gold or solid silver, reproduces the medal requested at the rue du Bac, in Paris, in 1830; its history and the meaning of each of its symbols are told in our guide the Miraculous Medal: history, symbols and meaning.
- Virgo Immaculata places the Virgin in a starry mandorla, surrounded by the inscription S. MARIA IMMAC. ORA PRO NOBIS, in a scrolled frame recalling the pilgrimage medals of old.
- Its mother-of-pearl version, the Virgin Immaculata carved on both sides, is our only medal carved on both faces: the Virgin on the front, the AM monogram of the Ave Maria on the back.
The Pietà, a medal of contemplation
The Pietà shows only Mary's face, bowed, eyelids lowered, as Michelangelo carved it in St Peter's in Rome. More than a christening medal, it is a medal one gives to a mother, a godmother, or someone going through a trial.
What about the Virgin and Child?
If you are looking for an image of Mary with the Child Jesus, our collection has some twenty: La Maternité, Our Lady of Tenderness, the Botticelli Madonna, Mater Divinae Gratia, "Mother of divine grace", or the Starry Virgin and Child. Our guide to choosing a christening medal covers this subject in full.
The Latin titles of Mary
Many of our medals bear an engraved Latin title. Most come from the Litany of Loreto, a long Marian prayer approved in 1587:
- Virgo Virginum: Virgin of virgins;
- Rosa Mystica: Mystical rose;
- Mater Divinae Gratiae: Mother of divine grace;
- Sancta Maria Immaculata: Holy Mary Immaculate;
- Ora Pro Nobis: pray for us.
Which material to choose?
Each Marian design exists in 18-karat yellow gold and, for most, in rhodium-plated solid silver and in jewellery-grade mother-of-pearl rimmed in gold or silver: mother-of-pearl gives Mary's face a softness and a white light no metal can offer, while gold favours relief and contrast. Our guide to materials details the differences between gold, silver, gold plate and mother-of-pearl.
Frequently asked questions
Which medal of the Virgin to choose for a christening?
There is no rule: the Heart of Mary and the Praying Virgin are the most sober, Rosa Mystica and the radiant Virgin the most ornate, the Miraculous Virgin the most widespread. The choice mainly follows the family's sensibility.
What is the difference between a medal of the Virgin and a Virgin and Child?
The medal of the Virgin shows Mary alone, in prayer or under one of her titles; the Virgin and Child shows her with Jesus, in an image of motherhood.
What does Rosa Mystica mean?
"Mystical rose": it is one of the titles given to Mary in the Litany of Loreto, the rose being one of her flowers.
Can a medal of the Virgin be engraved?
Yes, most of our Marian medals can be engraved on the back with a first name and a date. Two exceptions: the Miraculous Virgin, whose back bears the monogram and stars, and the Virgin Immaculata carved on both sides.
Which size to choose?
16 or 18 mm suits a child's christening; the mother-of-pearl versions, larger (18 to 24 mm depending on the design), are worn every day as well as in adulthood.
When to give a medal of the Virgin?
For a christening, a First Communion or a confirmation, but also on the great Marian feasts: the Annunciation on 25 March, the Assumption on 15 August, the Immaculate Conception on 8 December, or during May, the month of Mary.
Where to buy a medal of the Virgin made in France?
Manufacture Mayaud, a French house founded in 1770, strikes its medals of the Virgin the traditional way and makes its mother-of-pearl medals in its Paris workshop; they can be ordered online and at the boutique at 25 rue Vaneau, Paris.
Further reading
- All our medals of the Virgin in yellow gold and our christening medals
- The Miraculous Medal: history, symbols and meaning
- The symbols of religious medals
- Finding the patron saint medal by name