The Mother Mary or the voguing pop star. In most cases, you tend to see the version of the tattoo associated with the Mother Mary. The Madonna tattoo is one that has stood the test of time and has a great deal of meaning to those that sport the religious centered tattoo.

The Madonna tattoo is depicted as the baby Jesus being held by the Virgin Mary. This is one of the main images of Christianity and it has been that way since the days of sailors looking for reminders to stay righteous on the seas. Madonna is the piece of art that represents this image. It also a popular image to be tattooed by many cultures including Hispanic and Russian.

In this post we want to try to give you an idea of the meaning of the Madonna and explain the different ways this icon has been depicted over the years. The image of Madonna is one of the most important religious images ever and therefore, it’s become a popular image to have tattooed.

History of Madonna

The Madonna depictions date back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries or the times of Early Christianity and was found in the Catacombs of Rome. Now in these cases, the Madonna was in a narrative context. It wasn’t until the 5th century that the Madonna image we all know was developed. The importance of this image grew as Mary was formally dubbed the Mother of God.

Then in the 6th century, this image was used to represent the Queen of Heaven by Byzantine churches. These pictures were thought of as idol worship by some which, in turn, stirred up some trouble, However, as time passed, the image of the Madonna became more acceptable and even popular and those that opposed started to fall in line.

Representations of the Madonna in Tattoos

One way you might see the Madonna is the Mother Mary standing alone and standing. She is holding her hands out in prayer. You will likely see this image in many early apsidal mosaics.