Frescoes in the Cappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua: Scenes from the Life of the Virgin

The story of Mary's parents concludes with their intense encounter at the Golden Gate. The sensitive portrayal of their meeting already contains the germ for the start of the next narrative, which commences with the Birth of the Virgin Mary and which leads to the youth of Christ by way of the Bridal Procession of the Virgin.

On the wall facing the one with the stories of Joachim and Anne is the series of eposodes based on the infancy and marriage of the Virgin. Taken in their entirety, these stories constituted the most extensive Marian cycle that had ever been executed on a wall in Italy. The chapel is dedicated to the Virgin of Charity and the place that Scrovegni strategically chose to build it was linked to an ancient Marian cult that was particularly strong among the citizens of Padua.

As in the case of the stories of Joachim and Anne, those dedicated to Mary also had as their principal source the Apocrypha and the Golden Legend.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 6 minutes):
Guillaume Dufay: Ave, maris stella, hymn for the feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary