Virgins
Basic Info
In the first few decades after Jesus Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection, followers of Christ believed that his second coming would happen soon, certainly within the Apostles’ lifetimes. In that context, Saint Paul, in his First Letter to the Corinthians, suggests that married people stay married but encourages the unmarried and widowed to remain single, and thereby pure and chaste. He explains that the human body is a temple for the Holy Spirit and that chastity is the best way to keep that temple holy.
Both women and men were willing to remain chaste for the sake of God. This offered women especially a choice about whether to marry and bear children, where previously there had been no choice. Even after Christians realized that the second coming was not going to be as soon as expected, committing to virginity for the sake of chastity, purity, and dedicating one’s life to God continued to be a popular life choice. This choice was not always respected by the wider society; sometimes women were threatened with punishment or death if they refused their arranged marriages. Martyrdom for the sake of chastity has been especially revered among Christians.
A formal process for consecrating a woman’s commitment to chaste virginity began in the 3rd century. The idea was that a woman would take Jesus Christ as her spouse. The rise of monasticism in the Middle Ages saw a vast increase in the number of men and women vowing poverty, chastity, and obedience. They committed their lives to praying, teaching, and caring for those in need. The moral high ground that came with choosing chastity made some women very powerful both in the Church and within European society from the Middle Ages until contemporary era.
Sexual asceticism, renouncing sexual pleasure for the sake of focusing on more lofty pursuits, continues to draw adherents even in the West in today’s sexually more permissive times.
Artworks depicting saintly virgins tend to portray women who have made this choice, rather than men. The artworks usually emphasize purity, chastity, prayerfulness, and holiness. Occasionally, particular virgins (sometimes known as nuns or religious sisters) who are also known for their work teaching or caring for others will be referenced in the artwork as well. The symbols of purity or holiness tend to reflect the culture in which the artwork is created.
What to Look For
The first task is to distinguish images of the Virgin Mary, Jesus’ mother, from artworks or icons depicting other virgins. Those depicting Mary often are titled with something like “The Virgin of . . .” Other saints who are celebrated for their virginity tend to be named first, with the designation “virgin” following the name, such as “Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr.” In an artwork depicting a virgin saint, notice the following:
- The saint’s physical appearance, posture, gestures, gaze, attention, and expression
- The context in which the saint is depicted
- Symbols of any violence or opposition the saint might have faced (either in fact or according to legend)
- Symbols of purity, holiness, chastity
- Any reference to the good work for which the saint might have been known
Questions to Focus a General Interpretation
Does the artwork seem to emphasize the saint’s purity and chastity, the courage it took to maintain that stance, the saint’s good work, or some combination of these?
Questions to Guide a Personal Interpretation
What is the likely impact of an artwork like this in today’s Western culture wherein sexuality is generally not considered in relationship to spirituality?
Does the artwork suggest ways your sexuality could be more closely connected to your spirituality?
Questions to Suggest a Historical Interpretation
What might the artwork’s emphasis say about how the culture of the artist’s time and place valued virginity or virgins? Was the emphasis on holiness or on power and authority?
What might the artist (or the artist’s patrons) have wanted young women to take from the artwork? Does it seem like they were supposed to be inspired to imitate the saint?
