The Our Lady of Refuge Statue depicts Mary extending her cloak to welcome and shelter laypeople, clergy, and royalty alike. This depiction was inspired by legal codes which guaranteed safety and protection from prosecution to all who found shelter under the cloak of a person with authority such as a king or queen. The Our Lady of Refuge Statue is of distinctive heirloom quality and will stand prominently for many decades to come on your parish or school grounds, or in your own home prayer garden, or sacred indoor space.

Our Lady of Refuge Statue – Solid Bronze from Germany

The Our Lady of Refuge Statue is 9.4 inches high, 6.7 inches wide, and 2.4 inches deep. The finely-detailed, free-standing solid bronze statue is designed and forged in a workshop and foundry in Germany.

Mother Hen or Icon of God’s Maternal Love?

Our Lady of Refuge, or the Virgin of Mercy, was a popular devotion in Europe, especially in Italy from the 13th to 16th centuries, often as a votive portrait. Our Lady of Refuge is known in Italy as the Madonna della Misericordia (Madonna of Mercy), in France as the Vièrge au Manteau or Vierge de Miséricorde (Virgin with a cloak or Virgin of Mercy), and in Germany as the Schutzmantelmadonna (Sheltering-cloak Madonna).  Martin Luther disparaged the Schutzmantelmadonna as a “hen with her chicks.” But Our Lady of Refuge can be interpreted just as easily (and more reverently) as a way to God, as an icon of God’s maternal love for us: “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you…” (Isaiah 66:13).