A group called Shaping San Francisco host monthly
gatherings on the history of the city which I normally attend but will have to
skip tomorrow. Until last month, it was
held at the dance studio Counterpulse which
is three blocks from my house. Here’s
the location at Mission and Ninth circa 1854:
Looks like "Mission Plain Road is simply "Mission" these days... |
Archiving San Francisco is part of what Shaping San Francisco does. In fact, you can contribute through their
project Found SF. They also do awesome historical bike tours…one day as a teacher I hope to take my kids on some!!
So I was exploring Found SF today and thought I would share this picture of Mary’s
pierced heart, from Mission Dolores circa 1796:
The Immaculate Heart, pierced by three daggers |
Here’s my mash-up of the accompanying essay:
“Behind the wooden altar in the sanctuary at
Mission San Francisco de Asís, is a wall painted in the late eighteenth century
by Indian labor. Painted directly onto plaster, in ochre, white, red, yellow,
black, and blue/grey, the mural, which is adorned with abstract patterns as
well as Christian imagery, is still virtually unknown to the public, despite
its rediscovery and subsequent publicity in early 2004. This mural covers the entirety of the rear
wall of the church, behind the historic wooden altar. It measures 22 by 20 feet
and includes two statuary niches. It was eclipsed in the year 1796 by an
impressive baroque-style relief sculpture shipped from San Blas, Mexico called
a reredos. This reredos continues to stand as the backdrop to the
mission altar and has concealed the wall painting for over 200 years…
“Mission
San Francisco de Asís takes its “nickname” of “Dolores” from the nearby stream,
Arroyo de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores. The friars honored the Blessed Virgin
Mary by depicting her heart pierced by swords… [more on the meaning of Dolores and the pierced heart below...]
Natives Dancing at Mission Dolores, by Louis Choris |
As for Mary’s pierced heart, the subject of the Native American mural drawings and the object of their (perhaps forced) devotion, Wikipedia has this to say: “The Immaculate Heart of Mary (also known as The Sacred Heart of Mary) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons”. While the Sacred Heart of Jesus symbolizes complete and unconditional love for humankind in all their imperfections, the Immaculate Heart of Mary refers most importantly to the devotion to Jesus regardless of the hardships involved. The most common representation of the Immaculate Heart is the heart pierced by a sword, which refers especially to Mary's suffering at the foot of the cross. However, as we see on the mural image above, her heart is pierced many times: another name for Mary is Our Lady of Sorrows, in which her heart is pierced seven times, including not only by her son's crucifixion, but later by receiving his body into her arms. Mission Dolores is named after Our Lady of Sorrows, or Mater Dolorosa, "the mother who suffers." The mother is a powerful image, for no one can suffer more, be willing to suffer more, and be more devoted than a mother to her child. In other words the image of the pierced heart is a symbol of complete and utter devotion, a worthy object of worship. Here is an image of Mary's seven sorrows and images of the immaculate and sacred heart below.
Mary's seven sorrows |
The Immaculate Heart |
The Sacred Heart, often shown encircled by the crown of thorns |
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