If you look closely at any Immaculate Conception image, whether it’s in a painting in the Prado, at a procession on December 8, or on the medal you wear around your neck, you’ll see that the same details are almost always repeated: white and blue, the moon, the stars, and sometimes a serpent. Nothing is arranged by chance: every symbol tells a story.
Why all Immaculate Conception images look alike
A good deal of the blame lies with a man from Seville: Francisco Pacheco, painter and teacher of Velázquez. In his treatise Arte de la pintura, published in 1649, he set out how the Immaculate Conception should be painted: a girl of about twelve or thirteen years old, wearing a white tunic and a blue mantle, surrounded by a golden radiance, crowned with twelve stars, and with the moon at her feet. That “recipe” was followed for centuries in Spain and America, and that is why today we recognize the Immaculate Conception at a single glance.
His own pupil soon applied it. The Immaculate Conception by Velázquez, painted in Seville around 1618–1619, is now in London’s National Gallery. It features the moon beneath her feet, twelve stars, and, below, symbols from the litany: a garden, a fountain, a temple, and a ship.
What each detail means
The white tunic and blue mantle
White speaks of purity: it is the very heart of the dogma, the belief that Mary was conceived without original sin. Blue is the color of the sky and, in Spain, has an additional meaning: it is so closely associated with the Immaculate Conception that on December 8, Spanish priests may dress in sky blue.
The moon at her feet
It comes from the Book of Revelation, which describes “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet” (Rev 12:1). The moon, which changes and wanes, is placed beneath her feet: Mary is above all that is fleeting.
The crown of twelve stars
From the same verse, which also describes her as “clothed with the sun”: hence the golden radiance. The twelve stars are usually understood to represent the twelve tribes of Israel or the twelve apostles: the whole people of God surrounding the Mother.
The serpent beneath her foot
It refers to Genesis (Gen 3:15), when God announces that the woman’s offspring will crush the serpent’s head. Crushing it is the visual way of saying that sin did not touch her.
The Miraculous Medal is also an Immaculate Conception
Many people do not know it, but the image on the Miraculous Medal is an Immaculate Conception. When the Virgin appeared to Saint Catherine Labouré in Paris on November 27, 1830, she appeared dressed in white, standing on the globe, with rays of light coming from her hands and surrounded by the prayer “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” If you wear the Miraculous Medal, December 8 is also her feast day. The difference between the two is explained in our guide. And here you can find all the models from our Miraculous Medal collection.
Our Immaculate Conception medals
With pearl€69
With rubies and sapphires€69
With lapis lazuli€65
With dark turquoise€65
With amethyst€65
With apatite€69
Handmade in Spain, with chain included and gift-wrapped. See all our Immaculate Conception medals.
What to give an Inma (or a Concha)
Some gifts are used and forgotten. A medal is not: it is worn, touches the skin every day, and accompanies you through both good times and difficult ones. It is the simplest way to keep the Virgin close at all times, and that is why so many medals are passed down from mothers to daughters. Here are ours for every person:
- For her saint: the Immaculate Conception medal with pearl (€69), the most classic and one that never fails.
- For a mother, grandmother, or godmother: the Immaculate Conception medal with rubies and sapphires (€69), with a little more color.
- For a girl, for her baptism or first communion: the Immaculate Conception medal with lapis lazuli (€65), with the blue of the Immaculate.
- For someone who already wears the Miraculous Medal: the Immaculate Conception medal with amethyst (€65), so they can wear them together on the same chain.
Pair it with a handwritten note dated December 8. And if you are looking for more ideas, here is how to congratulate an Inma.
Facts you can check
- Pacheco established in his Arte de la pintura (1649) how to paint the Immaculate Conception: a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, white tunic, blue mantle, crown of twelve stars, and the moon at her feet. Source
- The Immaculate Conception by Velázquez (1618–1619), painted in Seville when he was Pacheco’s pupil, is in London’s National Gallery; it features the moon beneath her feet, twelve stars, and symbols from the litany. Source
- The verse from the Book of Revelation from which the moon and stars come: “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Rev 12:1). Source
- In the apparition on November 27, 1830, to Catherine Labouré, the Virgin was standing on a globe, with rays coming from her hands and the prayer “O Mary, conceived without sin.” Source
Marian and Barbara