The statue of the Virgin in the Sint Jan in Den Bosch has a new cloak. Margriet Luyten designed it and was given the assignment: there must be a corona link. And so the holy virgin, especially in coronat time a source of comfort, now wears a blue cloak with cow parsley. A plant, an early bloomer, that Luyten encountered frequently during her many walks in corona time.
In the corona time, more than usual, comfort was sought in the Mariakapel in Sint Jan. Many were closed, but the chapel was open throughout the crisis. As he enters the chapel, plebaan Vincent Blom says: “Thousands of people have lit a candle here in recent years to share their concerns and problems and to show their gratitude. Just as Mary was invoked in ancient times during the plague epidemic, For many, they are the symbol of comfort, protection and hope in corona time.”
He adds: “To commemorate her role during this period, a new cloak has been made for her: the Cloak of Hope and Consolation.”
From the designs of three different artists, that of Margriet Luyten from ‘s-Hertogenbosch was chosen. So she was inspired by nature. was asked to make a design. Margriet was chosen from three other artists who had submitted a design. She was inspired by nature for the design.
Luyten: “We were allowed to walk alone during the lockdown and then I often saw cow parsley,” says Margriet. “It is also called Dutch lace and I think it is beautiful.” The fabric for the new coat was developed by Margriet and woven in the TextielLab in Tilburg.
The mantle also bears a Latin text from the “Hail Mary”, but it is mirrored. “The text is only legible on the inside.
“The new coat is ready, but it is still in a safe,” says de Plebaan. The new design will be unveiled on 2 March in Het Noordbrabants Museum. The cloak is then part of the exhibition ‘Extreme care’, about the first corona wave through the eyes of a doctor.
On April 30, at the opening of the Marian month of May, the cloak is hung around the shoulders of the Sweet Lady for the first time in St. John’s. During the month of May 2022 she will wear the Cloak of Hope and Troost. This is a one-off, because from 2023, Mary will wear the new mantle every year during Lent.