Niepokalane Poczęcie Najświętszej Maryi Panny w średniowiecznej pieśni religijnej
The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a medieval religious song

Summary/Abstract: This article analyzes the presence of the motif of Mary’s Immaculate Conception in Polish medieval religious song. It emphasizes that the idea of Mary’s purity from the first moment of her existence was alive in popular piety and theology, long before the proclamation of the dogma in 1854. In Marian hymns of this period, the motif of the Immaculate Conception is presented symbolically, as Mary’s special choice by God and her freedom from sin. Medieval piety portrayed Mary as a „pure lily,” a „woman without stain,” a „vessel without blemish,” emphasizing her eternal destiny as the Mother of the Savior. Two parallel lines of immaculate thought developed in medieval Poland. One, more scholastic, based on Dominican Franciscan reflection, posed questions about original sin in the context of Mary. The second, more popular and pious version, present in hymns, accepted her freedom from the stain of sin as a given–without the need to explain the mystery. This article therefore presents medieval Marian hymns as an important element of the spirituality of the period. It is an example of how popular piety preserved the truth about Mary’s Immaculate Conception, anticipating the official Church pronouncement.

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