13. Virgin as ‘Ecclesia’ and Intercessor

The thirteenth film in the series focusing on one of Christianity’s central figures: The Virgin Mary.

It focuses on the Virgin as ‘Ecclesia’ (Church) and Intercessor, discussing Jan van Eyck’s The Madonna in the Church (c.1440) in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, and a thirteenth-century relief icon from Constantinople in the Bode-Museum, Berlin.

Presented by VCS Director Professor Ben Quash and Deputy Director Dr Jennifer Sliwka.

Artworks: Jan van Eyck, The Madonna in the Church, c.1440, Oak, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, Kat. Nr. 525C; Constantinople, Relief Icon with Mary as Intercessor, thirteenth century, Bode-Museum, Berlin, Marble, inv. no. 2429a/b.

Part of the Series Unlocking Christian Art. Produced in partnership with the National Museums in Berlin, these short films tell the story of the Virgin Mary with the help of the treasures of the Bode-Museum and the Gemäldegalerie, both sculpture and painting. These films are designed to equip users to understand, read, and enjoy some of Europe’s greatest works of Christian art, as well as the texts that inspired them, and to encourage fresh interpretation and insight in today’s audiences.