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VIRGIN MARY AS THE PRINCIPAL PATRONESS OF THE LIVONIAN ORDER: SPECIAL ASPECTS OF VENERATION

I. Komarov

Abstract

The cult of the Virgin Mary as the patroness of the Livonian Order played an important role in the history of medieval Livonia. Through the use of different subjects and symbols associated with the Holy Mother, the Order unambiguously declared its claims for the leadership in the region. However, the peculiarities of her worship in the OrderВ’s domain and among its authorities differed greatly. This research is trying to the find those differences. In the work were complexly used general scientific and special historical methods of research, as well as methods of auxiliary sciences of history. As a result, it was found that, despite the leadership of the Virgin Mary among other patron saints at the official level, her cult in the Livonian Order itself was much less popular. Considering the number of sacred objects dedicated to the patrons saints, the Mother of God, leading in the general number, was no longer ahead of the other saints, as for instance, in the case of the seals of the Order's officials and OrderВ’s coins. The reason for this probably lies in the peculiarities of the political views of the officials of the Order, which used the cult of the Holy Virgin largely to justify the claims of the Livonian Order for a supremacy in medieval Livonia.

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