Adoration of the Magi

Adoration of the Magi by Sandro Botticelli; Tempera on panel; 111 x 134 cm; Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

 

This Sunday we celebrate the solemnity of the Epiphany of our Lord, that is, the manifestation or appearance of the Lord in human form. The first mention of this feast day is by the Roman author Ammianus Marcellinus in AD 361. It is celebrated on January 6th or the Sunday between the 2nd and 8th of the month. Epiphany signals the end of the Christmas season and the start of Ordinary time. In the Western Church we commemorate the Adoration of the Magi on this feast, while in the Eastern Church the emphasis is on the baptism of Jesus.