What do we see here?
This statue most likely represents the Virgin Mary, holding the Christ Child in her arms. Some elements point in that direction:
• Mary is wearing a crown, which is common in her role as Queen of Heaven.
• She is holding the baby Jesus, a common motif in Catholic art, known as the “Madonna with Child”.
• The sculpture is placed in a niche, which is typical for religious statues on castles, churches or monasteries.
It appears that the child is holding a kind of scepter or crucifix, which symbolically refers to his divine mission. The coronation and presentation in a protected niche emphasise their importance and the protective power of Mary over the castle and its inhabitants.
Religious significance on castles
On castles such as Renesse, such statues were not merely decorative — they symbolised protection, religious devotion and the prestige of the inhabitants. Often, statues of Mary were placed in prominent places, such as gates or corner towers, as a kind of spiritual sentinel.