This feast dates back to the 12th century. It was enthusiastically promoted by the Cistercian and Servite orders, so much so that by the 14th and 15th centuries it was widely celebrated throughout the Catholic Church. In 1482, the feast was added to the Missal under the title of ‘Our Lady of Compassion’. Pope Benedict XIII added it to the Roman Calendar in 1727 on the Friday before Palm Sunday. In 1913, Pope Saint Pius X fixed the date on September 15. The title ‘Our Lady of Sorrows’ focuses on Mary’s intense suffering during the passion and death of Christ. ‘The Seven Dolours’, the title by which the feast was celebrated in the 17th century, referred to the seven ‘swords’ of sorrow that pierced the Heart of Mary:

1. The prophecy of Simeon (St Luke 2: 25–35)
2. The flight into Egypt (St Matt. 2: 13–15)
3. Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (St Luke 2: 41–50)
4. Our Lady meets Jesus on His way to Calvary (St Luke 23: 27–31; St. John 19: 17)
5. Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord (St John 19: 25-30)
6. The body of Our Lord being taken from the Cross (Psalm 130; St Luke 23:50–54; St John 19: 31–37)
7. The burial of Our Lord (Isaias 53: 8; St Luke 23: 50–56; St John 19:38–42; St Mark 15: 40–47)

The feast falls on the octave day of the Nativity of Our Lady.

The image above shows The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady by the Flemish artist Adriaen Isenbrandt, painted around 1520. As in contemporary depictions of this subject, such as that by Albrecht Dürer, the figure of Our Lady is surrounded by scenes depicting the sorrows she bore as a result of her closeness to the suffering of her Son, providing an aid to meditation and prayer.