The goal of the final seminar work is to observe the development of the Maria orans motif within independent and multi-figure depictions in Early Christian Art and at the same time identify the (neglected) important role portrayed by the Virgin Mary in the eyes of an early Christian believer. Taking into account the cultural and historical background, considering the relation to pagan art and the study of apocryphal texts, the thesis outlines the basis for the emergence and development of images of Mary in the gesture of orant. Selected depictions are subject of iconographic analysis, which reveals that there are many unknowns within the considered motif due to insufficient research, which make it impossible to reliably interpret certain depictions. The analysis of the literature and the depictions themselves also reveals Mary's exceptional role as the Mother of God, the representative of the Church and even the priestess.
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