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Glossary

Hortus conclusus

Hortus Conclusus is the Latin for an enclosed garden. The depiction of such a garden in Christian art from the Middle Ages onwards is often intended to suggest purity. The garden is frequently shown walled, so implying impenetrability. The image refers to the virginity of Mary, Christ's mother.

The idea of the Hortus Conclusus is also associated with the Garden of Eden of the Old Testament.