Ancient Names of the Virgin Mary

The Madonna del Rosario is an ancient icon of Mary believed to date back to the sixth century or even earlier.This early rendition belongs to a category of icons known as Maria Advocata, portraying Mary without the Christ Child and with both hands raised. Housed in the Church of the Madonna del Rosario since 1931, this artwork is considered to be the oldest image of Mary in Rome, Italy. According to medieval tradition, the icon is attributed to Luke the Evangelist.