Facta est Maria fenestra coeli

Abstract

This article aims to iconographically interpret the doctrinal meanings of the divine ray of light passing through a window in images of the Annunciation from the 14th and 15th centuries. To achieve this purpose, I analyze firstly a large corpus of texts by which numerous Church Fathers, theologians, and medieval hymnographers decipher several metaphors alluding to “light,” “Sun,” “star,” “window,” “door,” “crystal,” and other similar expressions referring to luminous phenomena. The next stage is the analysis of twelve images of the Annunciation that include this ray of light passing through a window. I complement this last analysis with some criticism of several unjustified “interpretations” made by some art historians and iconographers. The comparative analysis and the essential interrelation of these texts and these images help to justify the validity of my iconographic interpretations of the deep doctrinal meanings that this specific feature contains in the analyzed Annunciations.