Our Lady Undoer of Knots: Meaning, History and Pope Francis
Our Lady Undoer of Knots is a beloved Marian devotion that invites us to entrust life's most tangled difficulties to God through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its powerful imagery also held a special place in the prayer of Pope Francis.
Where did the devotion begin?
The image known in German as Maria Knotenlöserin comes from a painting created around 1700 and preserved in the church of St. Peter am Perlach in Augsburg, Germany. Mary appears surrounded by angels, gently untying knots in a long white ribbon. The painting communicates a message of hope: what seems tangled and impossible to us can be brought before God in prayer.
What do the knots symbolize?
The knots can remind us of conflicts in marriage and family life, fears, wounds, resentment, spiritual struggles and choices that seem impossible to resolve. In the image, one angel presents a knotted ribbon while another receives it loosened. Mary does not replace Jesus Christ or act independently of Him; as His Mother, she intercedes and points us to the mercy of her Son.
Other details, including the serpent beneath Mary's feet, call to mind God's victory over evil. This is a devotional image, not a promise that a particular prayer will automatically solve every problem.
The deeper Catholic meaning
Saint Irenaeus contrasted Eve's disobedience with Mary's faithful obedience. Pope Francis reflected on this ancient Christian image in a Marian catechesis on October 12, 2013: Mary's “yes” opens the way for God to untie the knots of sin and bring us back to Him. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that Mary's maternal intercession depends completely on Christ's unique mediation (CCC 969–970). Devotion to Mary differs essentially from the adoration owed to God alone (CCC 971).
Why was Pope Francis devoted to Our Lady Undoer of Knots?
Jorge Mario Bergoglio came to know the image during his years as a Jesuit priest and helped make this devotion known in Argentina. It later spread widely across the Catholic world. On May 31, 2021, Pope Francis led the Rosary in the Vatican Gardens before a copy of the image brought from the Diocese of Augsburg, praying amid the suffering caused by the pandemic. The Holy See itself described this as an image toward which he felt a particular devotion.
The illustration accompanying this article is an artistic, symbolic scene of Pope Francis contemplating the image in a Vatican-inspired room; it is not a photograph or documentary record of an actual encounter.
How can we pray with this devotion?
- Begin with the Sign of the Cross and place yourself in God's presence.
- Name honestly the “knot” that troubles your heart or family.
- Ask the Blessed Virgin Mary's intercession, trusting in Jesus Christ.
- Pray an Our Father, a Hail Mary or a decade of the Rosary.
- Take the practical steps that love, justice, forgiveness or professional help may require, and entrust the outcome to God.
A short prayer to Our Lady Undoer of Knots
Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus and our Mother, you know the difficulties that burden our hearts. Intercede for us before your Son. Help us to trust His mercy, seek reconciliation, act with courage and accept His holy will. Lord Jesus, untie what sin, fear and suffering have tangled in our lives. Amen.
This is an original prayer written for this article, not an official liturgical prayer.
Official Catholic sources
- Vatican News — The image and the Rosary of May 2021
- Pope Francis — Marian catechesis, October 12, 2013
- Pope Francis — Rosary, May 31, 2021
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 969–971
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