Cultural Mechanisms of the Transformation of the Image of the Virgin Mary in Medieval Mariology (Based on English Religious Poetry of the 10th to 15th Centuries)

The article examines the cultural mechanisms that define the evolution of the image of the Virgin Mary in the medieval Mariological tradition, based on English religious poetry from the 10th to the 15th centuries. It focuses on the processes of reinterpreting this image in various cultural contexts – from apocryphal literature to poetic forms. It demonstrates that apocryphal texts, by filling in the gaps of canonical narratives, laid the foundation for the further symbolic development of the Marian image and its adaptation within poetic culture. The analysis starts with the Anglo-Saxon poem "Christ I" ("Advent"), where the image of the Virgin Mary is characterized by its multi-layeredness: she appears in both social and allegorical roles (virgin, mother, bride, queen, image of the Church), demonstrating a movement from the concrete to the abstract-theological level. The study is based on cultural and historical-literary analysis, employing an interpretation of texts in the context of religious practices, poetic traditions, and sociocultural changes occurring during the Middle Ages. The article identifies three key cultural mechanisms in the transformation of the Virgin Mary's image. The first is linked to the formation of "affective piety," within which the image of Mary as the compassionate Mother transforms doctrinal content into personal spiritual experience and facilitates the transition from collective forms of worship to individual meditation. The second mechanism manifests in the interaction of Mariological discourse with the courtly tradition: the borrowing of rhetoric and imagery from secular lyric leads to the formation of an ambivalent image of Mary as the heavenly Queen and an idealized "lady," an object of service and spiritual love. The third mechanism is associated with the spread of the "aureate style" in the 15th century, accompanied by a complication of poetic language, an intensification of rhetorical formality, and a shift of focus from emotional experience to intellectual contemplation. As a result of this transformation, the image of the Virgin Mary acquires a contradictory character; however, it is this internal tension that ensures the resilience and cultural productivity of the image within the medieval English tradition.