In Christian theology, the Immaculate Conception is the conception of the Virgin Mary free from original

sin by virtue of the merits of her son Jesus. The Catholic Church teaches that God acted upon Mary in
the first moment of her conception, keeping her "immaculate”.

The Immaculate Conception is commonly confused with the virgin birth of Jesus, the latter being, rather,
the doctrine of the Incarnation. While many Christians believe in the virgin birth of Jesus, it is principally
Roman Catholics, along with various other Christian denominations, who believe in the doctrine of the
Immaculate Conception.

Although the belief that Mary was sinless, or conceived without original sin, has been widely held since
Late Antiquity, the doctrine was not dogmatically defined in the Catholic Church until 1854 when Pope
Pius IX, declared ex cathedra, i.e., using papal infallibility, in his papal bull Ineffabilis Deus, the
Immaculate Conception to be doctrine. The Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate
Conception on December 8; in many Catholic countries, it is a holy day of obligation or patronal feast,
and in some a national public holiday

A feast of the Conception of the Most Holy and All Pure Mother of God was celebrated in Syria on
December 8 perhaps as early as the 5th century. The title of achrantos (spotless, immaculate, all-pure)
refers to the holiness of Mary, not specifically to the holiness of her conception.

An 11th-century Eastern Orthodox icon of the Theotokos Panachranta, i.e., the "all immaculate" Mary

Mary's complete sinlessness and concomitant exemption from any taint from the first moment of her
existence was a doctrine familiar to Greek theologians of Byzantium. Beginning with St. Gregory
Nazianzen, his explanation of the "purification" of Jesus and Mary at the circumcision (Luke 2:22)
prompted him to consider the primary meaning of "purification" in Christology (and by extension in
Mariology) to refer to a perfectly sinless nature that manifested itself in glory in a moment of grace (e.g.,
Jesus at his Baptism). St. Gregory Nazianzen designated Mary as prokathartheisa (prepurified). Gregory
likely attempted to solve the riddle of the Purification of Jesus and Mary in the Temple through
considering the human natures of Jesus and Mary as equally holy and therefore both purified in this
manner of grace and glory Gregory's doctrines surrounding Mary's purification were likely related to the
burgeoning commemoration of the Mother of God in and around Constantinople very close to the date
of Christmas. Nazianzen's title of Mary at the Annunciation as "prepurified" was subsequently adopted
by all theologians interested in his Mariology to justify the Byzantine equivalent of the Immaculate
Conception. This is especially apparent in the Fathers St. Sophronios of Jerusalem and St. John
Damascene, who will be treated below in this article at the section on Church Fathers. About the time of
Damascene, the public celebration of the "Conception of St. Ann" (i.e., of the Theotokos in her womb)
was becoming popular. After this period, the "purification" of the perfect natures of Jesus and Mary
would not only mean moments of grace and glory at the Incarnation and Baptism and other public
Byzantine liturgical feasts, but purification was eventually associated with the feast of Mary's very
conception (along with her Presentation in the Temple as a toddler) by Orthodox authors of the 2nd
millennium (e.g., St. Nicholas Cabasilas and Joseph Bryennius).
Misconceptions

The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception (Mary being conceived free from original sin) is not to be
confused with the virginal conception of her son Jesus. Catholics believe that Mary was conceived of
both parents,[11] traditionally known by the names of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. In 1677, the Holy
See condemned the error of Imperiali who taught that St. Anne in the conception and birth of Mary
remained virgin, which had been a belief surfacing occasionally since the 4th century.[12] The Church
celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (when Mary was conceived free from original sin) on
December 8, exactly nine months before celebrating the Nativity of Mary. The feast of the Annunciation
(which commemorates the virginal conception and the Incarnation of Jesus) is celebrated on March 25,
nine months before Christmas Day.