Mater Admirabilis

Mater Admirabilis is a fresco of Mary (Mother Most Admirable) located at the Religious of the Sacred Heart Convent in Rome. The fresco consists of soft pink, ivory, and blue shades, portraying a serene and peaceful young Mary. There is a lily to the left of Mater, representing her purity. She is holding a spindle, along with her sewing basket, these represent her toil. The books on her sewing basket represent her education. Mary is meant to be at a temple in Jerusalem just before she begins her journey. The soft shades of the fresco convey a sense of calmness and peace, depicting a comforting image of Mary.

Fresco of Mater Admirabilis as it appeared at Pope Pius IX’s visit to the convent. The colors have not changed since this miraculous event.

The fresco of Mater was commissioned by the Mother Superior at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, located in the Trinità dei Monti at the top of the Spanish Steps, in 1844. A young French postulate, Pauline Perdrau, had begged the Mother Superior to paint a fresco of Mary, even though she had no experience painting frescos before. Once she was given approval, Perdrau spent many hours each day for months preparing the surface of the wall and painting Mary. When the fresco was finished, the colors were declared too harsh to depict the Virgin Mary—in strong and dark pinks and blues. This was unheard of at the time and as a result, a curtain was put up in front of the fresco to shield the hideous portrait of Mary from view.

Mater Admirabilis Chapel, where the fresco is located

 

In 1846, Pope Pius IX visited the convent and asked that the curtain be removed so he could see what was on the wall. When the curtain was taken down, the painting was revealed and the colors had transformed into light rose-hues and ivories and light blues, softening the fresco. The Pope declared “Mater Admirabilis!” at the sight of the beautiful fresco, and that is how it received the name. Perdrau declared the event nothing short of a miracle thanks to Mater Admirabilis. Shortly afterward, many miracles at the hands of Mater Admirabilis were reportedly taking place. Today, pilgrims from all over the world, especially those affiliated with the Religious of the Sacred Heart, flock to the fresco of Mater to see her and pray to her. The feast day of Mater Admirabilis is October 20. Today the fresco is located in the Mater Admirabilis Chapel of the Trinità dei Monti school.

Trinità dei Monti, located at the top of the Spanish Steps, is where the Religious of the Sacred Heart Convent is located as well as the corresponding school.

The school is part of a network of Religious of the Sacred Heart schools that total to over 100 worldwide, including 22 in the United States.

This is an image I have grown up seeing nearly my whole life. I attended Sacred Heart Schools on Sheridan Road in Chicago, where like every Sacred Heart school across the world, each year we celebrated the feast day of Mater Admirabilis and retold the story of the fresco and how it came to be. Seeing the image in person was an incredibly moving and inspiring experience for me. I felt a sense of peace and a sacred aspect about the fresco, seeing the original in person. I think the soft colors in this fresco are what make Mary seem more accessible to the everyday person and why so many people across the world are captivated by this portrait. Oftentimes, Mary is painted in some shade of blue, so I think the pink hues here make this fresco more unique as well.

 

https://rscj.org/who-we-are/heritage/mater-admirabilis