Throughout his papacy, Francis went there to pray to an icon of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus. In death, he'll lie in a simple tomb beside her chapel. NPR's Ruth Sherlock takes us there.

But beyond the holy implications of the mother of Jesus ascending to her Divine Residence, it’s plain to see that the Virgin Mary has permeated pop culture for quite some time now.

He went there principally to pray to the Salus Populi Romani, health or protectress of the Roman people in Latin, a painting on cedar wood that shows the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus. This icon ...

CHESTERTON | A lawn statue of Mary holding baby Jesus disappeared from a Chesterton woman's Nativity scene just days before Christmas.

She’s either portrayed alone or, most often, holding the baby Jesus, as in the Genazzano 15th century painting, a close-up of the two faces with Jesus’ fingers holding his mother’s neck.

The Madonna and Child — a young Mary holding her son, Jesus, as an infant — is the prevailing depiction of Mary throughout cultures and time. The Pietà, Italian for “pity” or “compassion,” depicts ...

Stella Radenkovic, 14, reenacted Mary holding Jesus, honoring the story of Christ’s birth during the annual Las Posadas procession at the Andres Pico Adobe in Mission Hills presented by the San ...

A suggestive church stained-glass window that appears to show a well-hung Jesus has found fame online. The picture, captured in an unknown location, depicts Mary holding Jesus.

Different icons, common prayers. How Mary is represented, ... She’s either portrayed alone or, most often, holding the baby Jesus, as in the Genazzano 15th century painting, ...

Different icons, common prayers. How Mary is represented, ... She’s either portrayed alone or, most often, holding the baby Jesus, as in the Genazzano 15th century painting, ...