The memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, which we celebrate today, dates back to the Feast of the “The Seven Sorrows of Mary”, which was introduced by Pope Benedict XIII in 1721.
In Eastern Christianity, the Sorrowful Mother has been venerated since the first centuries. The great poet Ephrem the Syrian (+373) already sings of the Virgin under the Cross, and a large number of authors of Christian antiquity depict the Sorrows of Mary. These texts became part of the liturgy of the East. Thus, as early as the 6th century, the depiction of Mary under the Cross was common in the East.
In the West, on the other hand, devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows began to spread only in the 12th century. The Order of the Servants of Mary (Servites), founded in 1233, made the veneration of the “Mater Dolorosa” known to a large part of the Christian population. At this time, the famous hymn to the Sorrowful Mother, the “Stabat Mater”, was also born. The veneration of Our Lady of Sorrows has been deeply rooted in people’s hearts since the Middle Ages. Pilgrimage sites with the image of Jesus being placed in the lap of His Sorrowful Mother after His descent from the Cross have also been established.