Mary as Heavenly Gate

In this and the following chapter, we discuss the model offered by the Virgin Mary, the most important female figure in Christianity. Analyzing how Mary appears in the gospels, we underline the complexity of her characteristics, generally reduced in devotional contexts to humility, by showing her determination and her independence. The chapter then examines how she is presented in poetry and prose by Vittoria Colonna, who emphasizes Mary’s role as co-redeemer, the theological figure who allowed human beings to return to heaven as the mediatrix between human beings and God, but also Mary’s human side, allowing her to become an engaging example of woman’s agency. Lucrezia Marinella’s poem and prose, Life of the Virgin Mary, Empress of the Universe , on the other hand, reassesses Mary and gives her a different role, perpetuating a marginalizing attitude.