Feast Day: December 8th
This doctrine, formally defined and declared in 1854, proclaims Mary to have been miraculous preserved from Original Sin from the moment of her conception.
Mary as the Immaculate Conception is closely associated with the apparitions of Mary to Bernadette Soubirious in Lourdes, France in 1858, because Mary referred to herself as “the Immaculate Conception” in these apparitions.
The differences in art between portrayals of Mary as the Immaculate Conception and of Mary’s Assumption are a little subtle in my mind. I thought this explanation was helpful, though not necessarily thorough. In any case, I did my best to sort the images of the Immaculate Conception below in contrast with those for the Assumption.
Recommended Reading:
Bernadette, Our Lady’s Little Servant by Hertha Pauli
Small Catholic 