The Annunciation

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The Annunciation, also known as the Announcement to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Announcement of Our Lady, or the Announcement of the Lord, commemorates the moment when the angel Gabriel revealed to the Virgin Mary that she would bear and become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, marking his Incarnation. Gabriel instructed Mary to name her son Yehoshua, meaning "YHWH is salvation". According to Luke 1:26, the Announcement took place in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy with John the Baptist. Many Christians celebrate this event on the Feast of the Annunciation on 25 March, an approximation of the northern vernal equinox nine full months before Christmas, the ceremonial birthday of Jesus. In England, this day was previously known as Lady Day and marked the start of the new year until 1752. The 2nd-century writer Irenaeus of Lyon believed that Jesus' conception coincided with the Passion on March 25th. The Announcement has been a central theme in Christian art, as well as Marian art in the Catholic Church, particularly during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. A work of art depicting the Announcement is often itself referred to as an Announcement.