Piety is a virtue that arises from compassion and love for God.
Originating from the Latin word piĕtas , the concept of piety refers to the virtue that inspires devotion to everything related to holy matters and is guided by the love felt towards God . It is also the virtue that translates into actions driven by the love felt for others and compassion towards one's neighbor.
The notion, as can be seen, is associated with the ideas of religiosity and spirituality and is presented as something similar to humility . This virtue inspires a conduct of subordination to God and solidarity with the rest of the people without any kind of distinctions.
Piety, as we have determined it in its different meanings, we can establish that the usual way of representing it is with the form of a woman who in one of her hands carries the so-called horn of plenty, which is a symbol of prosperity, and in the other she has a kind of ladle from which smoke comes out.
Different uses of the term piety
The deep and unconditional love that is devoted to parents and venerated things is also known as piety. The term, on the other hand, is used as a synonym for words such as mercy, pity or commiseration .
This last use of the word is the most common and the one that dominates in everyday language. When someone shows pity for another person, they decide to help them, assist them or forgive them. For example: “I know I was wrong but, please, have mercy” , “There is no need to have mercy on murderers” , “The condemned man asked for mercy but it was too late: the executioner did not hesitate to carry out the order and executed him” .
The term in cinema
In the cinematographic field there are various films that have revolved around the aforementioned word that we are analyzing. This would be the case, for example, of “Twelve Angry Men”. This film was released in 1957, directed by Sidney Lumet, in which the development of a murder trial is described.
A jury is in charge of determining the guilt or innocence of the prisoner and almost all of them agree in considering the court guilty of the crime. However, one of the men who make up the jury thinks the opposite, that he is innocent, and for that reason he will raise doubts and suppositions to the rest of his companions with the clear objective of not imprisoning the prisoner unjustly.
The Vatican Pietà is a famous sculpture by Michelangelo.
The Pietà as an artistic representation
The Pietà is also known as a sculpture or painting that reflects the suffering of the Virgin Mary as she holds the body of Christ in her arms after being taken down from the cross. The most famous sculpture of this type is known as the Vatican Pietà and was made around the years 1498 and 1499 by the Italian sculptor and painter Michelangelo . It is located in St. Peter's Basilica and is considered one of the most outstanding artistic works of all time.
In 1972 , a person attacked the work with a hammer and destroyed the face of the Virgin . The Pietà had to be restored and, from then on, protected to prevent further attacks.
A financial concept
In addition to all the above, we can refer to a very well-known term that is frequently used among the population that uses the concept of piety.
Specifically, we are referring to the so-called monte de piedad , which is used to define a type of savings bank, with a certain charitable character at the same time, which is dedicated to granting a series of loans at very low interest rates.