The Assumption of Mary; Reni 1642

It is interesting how beliefs play a part in mediating the archetypes. Religious beliefs are often held passionately by the devoted. In this scientific age it is tempting to surmise that these statements of belief are statements of facts about the world. In 1950 Pope Pius Xll declared by papal infallibility that the virgin Mary did not die but was bodily taken up into heaven at the end of her life in what was known as the assumption of the virgin. While on one level this belief can be taken as a statement of something that historically and physically happened on another level it can be viewed as a devotional statement. It further established the virgin Mary as an archetypal feminine figure so sorely lacking in some forms Christianity.