The Immaculate Conception

17th century
Wood, polychrome
Museum of the Church of San Paio (St. Pelagius), Santiago de Compostela, Spain

This is the iconography that developed in the 17th century from Revelation 12:1, "And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars." The text goes on to say that the woman was about to give birth and that a red dragon stood by planning to devour the child. Like most other Immaculate Conceptions this statue includes the dragon but not any indication of pregnancy.

Besides the crown of stars, a few other examples of this iconographic type will also give the figure an actual crown. The addition of an angel or angel face to the moon is also seen occasionally.

Read more about the Immaculate Conception.

Photographed at the church by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.