The Visitation of the Virgin to St Elizabeth

by Goosen van der Weyden

Goswin van der Weyden or Goossen van der Weyden (1455–1543) was a Flemish Renaissance painter active in Antwerp.^[1] He was one of several artists from Brussels who assisted in the transmission to Antwerp of the traditions of the Brussels school founded by his grandfather, Rogier van der Weyden. He thus played an important role in the founding of the Antwerp school.

Reflection on the Painting by Br Christian (Prior)

In our Anglican Cistercian Ordo (our liturgical Calendar) our Order keeps the Feast of the Visitation on Monday the 1st June this year. The 31st May in 2026 is Trinity Sunday and leads us into what we call “Ordinary Time”. Yet this wonderful feast reminds us that with Our Lord, life is anything but Ordinary. Our picture for this month is The Visitation of the Virgin to St Elizabeth, by Goosen van de Weyden and was painted as part of an altarpiece around 1516.

The Virgin Mary – the figure in blue – has gone to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who in spite of her age had miraculously become pregnant. The picture illustrates the meeting as described in the Gospel of Luke. The Bible describes how Mary went from Nazareth to Judah, where Elizabeth lived. In the distance is a city on a river – presumably Nazareth, and on the right is a hilltop presumably Judah where Elizabeth lives.

Elizabeth, dressed in red and with a rosary at her belt, has clearly hurried out to meet Mary. She goes down on one knee before her, a mark of respect for the mother of God. Elizabeth’s child was John the Baptist, who in adulthood recognised Christ as the Messiah and baptised him in the River Jordan John leapt for joy in the womb when he heard the Virgin’s voice (Luke 1: 41–5). Some of the figures in the background also come from the Bible. The old man leaning on a stick by the arch is presumably Elizabeth’s husband, Zachariah, who was a priest in the temple at Judah.

When the Archangel Gabriel told him of his wife’s pregnancy, he doubted the news and, as a punishment, was left unable to speak.

The rolling hills topped with small towns, the medieval cities and the green wooded landscape bear little resemblance to first-century Palestine – or to the surroundings of Antwerp, where Goossen ran his workshop. For medieval Christians, the events of the Bible took place outside normal time and space, but were understood as ‘here and now’ rather than ‘then and there’. Maybe the first wonderful thing about this picture is that here is a most significant revelation of the presence of Christ in the middle of ordinary everyday life – ordinary time? Look at the riders on the hill in the distance, a dog chasing the birds, and a woman dragging a reluctant child across the square on the right.

The story of the Visitation is one of the richest stories in the bible. Mary has just been told that she will bear the Son of God, despite the fact that she’s a virgin. Through an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Mary is filled with courage and grace, and freely gives her yes to God. And yet, in this extraordinary moment, she is so beautifully human, too — she wonders how this can be and then she leaves immediately to visit her cousin, Elizabeth.

The angel has just delivered the most incredible news, and to prove that “nothing will be impossible for God” (Luke 1:37) we read: “And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren” (Luke 1:36). And so, Mary travels in haste to her cousin Elizabeth — to confirm the sign, perhaps to find sanctuary, and to revel in the joy and goodness that the Lord has bestowed upon both of them. Two amazing women sharing a deep faith filled understanding of each other.

St Aelred of Rievaulx, the 12th Century Cistercian abbot (often referred to as the St Bernard of the North) wrote profoundly about Spiritual Friendship. As we gaze on these two women in our picture we see a perfect unveiling of the image of true spiritual, holy and loving friendship. Here we see shared joy and mutual support. Aelred writes that we should all honour Mary for through her the Son of God was brought into the world. At the Visitation, Mary brings Jesus into the ordinary home of Elizabeth and Zechariah, the first to share the Good News of the incarnation. The Visitation also enables us to see the truly Cistercian spirit of charity and selfless service. Aelred reminds us that spiritual friendship must focus on gentle sympathy and looking after others. Mary’s “haste” to be with Elizabeth is surely then a deep act of love – visiting a relative in need -remaing there until John (the Baptist) was born.

Our journey with this picture has taken us from biblical times through the 12 century Cistercian writings of St Aelred, the Medieval understanding of Christianity expressed in the 16th Century painting to this day.

I hope you will agree as the 1st June draws us into “ordinary time” once more we hold dear to the knowledge that we, in the ordinariness of our daily lives, may be open , with Mary, to that generous outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and filled with grace and courage may with her say our own yes to God for whom all things are possible.