A canonical coronation is a symbolic ecclesiastical act of honour, a crowning, in the Roman Catholic church bestowed by the Pope or usually by his delegate, upon generally a Marian, Christological, or occasionally a Josephian image or statue which has conspicuously, and over an extended period, attracted the intercessionary devotion of the faithful in a particular place of worship. which is then generally carried out by a personal official of the Pope, a Papal legate, or on rare occasions by the Pontiff himself, by ceremonially attaching a crown, tiara, or stellar halo to the framework of the devotional image or statue. Originally, the Holy Office issued the authorisation of a canonical coronation through a Church body, a dicastery, called the "Vatican Chapter". Subsequently until 1989, the Vatican's Sacred Congregation of Rites was assigned this duty. Since then, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments arranges to execute the ceremonial act which the decree authorizes. The canonical rite of coronation of a religious image is quite distinct from the annual ritual of May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary practiced in many Roman Catholic parishes involving the faithful, in particular children. In the latter case the crown is often a garland made of flowers and is of a transient if recurring nature.
History
The custom of crowning holy images, especially of Mary, Mother of Jesus, probably originated with the theological notions of the Desert Fathers in the Early Church epitomised in the queenship of Mary, as "Queen of Heaven" and later as "Stella Maris" among other epithets. It has been depicted repeatedly in Western art through the centuries, especially before the arrival of universal literacy. The formalised act of coronation of an image of veneration may be due in part to the initiative and practice of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins, who on their evangelising missions collected great quantities of jewellery associated with the practice of indulgences, which funded at the request of the faithful, the gold crowns or accessories for images of the Virgin Mary, mainly in Italy. A particular Capuchin friar, Jeronimo Paolucci di Calboldi di Forli, was a major advocate for this practice, and was known during his life as a self-proclaimed "Apostle of the Blessed Lady." After a simple homily, Forli crowned the Nursing Madonna, now enshrined in the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata in the Italian city of Parma on 27 May 1601. Later, on 3 July 1636, the Marquis of Piacenza and Count of Borgonovo, Alessandro Sforza Cesarini died, having bequeathed in his will a large sum of money to the Vatican Chapter, for investment in the production of crowns of precious metals for the coronation of the most celebrated Marian images in the world. Funds from his bequest went towards the restoration of ‘’Madonna della Febbre’’ now enshrined in the sacristy of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Development of the rite
The enactment of the rite of the coronation of a venerated image became widely popular in the Papal states prior to 1800, when approximately 300 coronation rites were performed. On 29 March 1897, an official rite was included in the Roman Pontifical, for which a plenary indulgence was also conceded to the faithful who participated in such rites.
The first Marian image that was Pontifically crowned was Lippo Memmi’s painting of La Madonna della Febbre in the sacristy of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome on 27 May 1631, by Pope Urban VIII through the Vatican Chapter.
The first Marian image crowned by a Pope himself instead of a proxy papal legate was the “Madonna Del Popolo” on 3 June 1782, by Pope Pius VI, at the Cesena Cathedral.
Enshrinement of the rite
The solemn rite of crowning images is contained in the "Ordo Coronandi Imaginem Beatae Mariae Virginis", published by the Holy Office on 25 May 1981. Prior to 1989, papal bulls authorising canonical coronations were inscribed manually on parchment. After 1989, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments began issuing the authorisations, thereby authorising a Papal legate to perform the coronation of the approved devotional image on behalf of the Pope.
