Mary probably lived from 18 BC to  41 AD, is known as the Blessed Virgin Mary, and was the mother of Jesus.

She is known as the Virgin Mary because Jesus was born to her miraculously by the command of God, not because she had relations with her husband-to-be, Joseph. She married Joseph and went with him to Bethlehem, and this is where Jesus was born.

The Gospel of Luke begins its account of Mary's life with the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and told her that she would become the mother of Jesus. Mary was present from the beginning of Jesus' life, to the end at the Crucifixion of Jesus. She was also a member of the early Christian community in Jerusalem.

Mary is thought of by many as the most important saint of Christianity by Roman Catholics. Many Protestants do not give Mary such a prominent position.