Erasmus and the Lady of Loreto

Abstract One could argue that a mass dedicated to the Virgin of Loreto is an unusual choice for Erasmus. His Liturgy of the Virgin Mother Venerated at Loreto ( Virginis Matris apud Lauretum cultae liturgia , 1523, 1525, 1529) would prove such an argument wrong, as this overlooked text reveals much of Erasmus’ theory of accommodatio , his approach to liturgy and the cult of Mary, and his vision of the church and his spiritual exegesis, even in the midst of the Reformation’s turmoil. This article proposes a close reading of the 1525 edition, which will contextualize Erasmus’ portrait of Mary in her moral values and in the de-eroticization and purification of the medieval, Catholic model, which he re-affirms in the same years in which his controversy with Luther unfolded. Moreover, the sermon presents a rarefied and intellectual variant of the feminine imagery of the bride, which I will analyze as being systematically integrated into Erasmus’ theology of progress and ecclesiology.