‘Testament Of Mary’ Gives Fiery Voice To The Virgin

The Virgin Mary is one of the most familiar icons of Christianity. For centuries, artists have depicted her on everything from backyard statues of a rosy-cheeked innocent to paintings of magnificent Madonnas hanging in museums all over the world. But few writers have taken up her story or tried to create their own version of the events of her life.

Now, Irish writer Colm Toibin does just that. His novella, The Testament of Mary, raises questions about the life of Jesus’ mother and the stories that laid the groundwork for the creation of a church.

Toibin grew up in Catholic Ireland at a time when devotion to the Virgin Mary was widespread. But he found inspiration for his fictional account of Mary’s life in Italy, not Ireland. While on a trip to Venice, Toibin happened upon two very different works of art: Titian’s Assumption of the Virgin, which depicts a red-robed Mary being taken up into heaven surrounded by angels; and Tintoretto’s The Crucifixion.