A recent French novel by Bruno Vni entitled “C'était elle sur la croix: L'inimaginable secret de l'abbé Gélis” (Le Lys Bleu Editions, 2022), contains the following blurb on its back cover:

“On Halloween night in 1897, Father Antoine Gélis was brutally murdered in his presbytery in Coustaussa. A major question remains: why? Was it because he possessed writings proving the crucifixion of Mary Magdalene in place of Jesus, as the Cross with Roses, located at the entrance of the church in Rennes-les-Bains, on which a Virgin and Child are crucified, seems to show?”

Actually, the symbolism of the Virgin with Child within the Crucifix is not remotely unique, nor is it peculiar to Rennes-les-Bains, etc...

In Christian art history and theological iconography, an image or sculpture depicting the Virgin Mary holding the infant Christ Child while superimposed on, next to, or integrated with a crucifix carries a deeply layered symbolic meaning.

Rather than being a literal historical depiction, this juxtaposition serves as a visual shortcut for the entire Incarnation and Redemption doctrine.

The Foreshadowing of Christ’s Sacrifice (Prolepsis)

The most prominent meaning of this combination is prolepsis (the artistic technique of foreshadowing). Placing the baby Jesus in the context of the crucifix tells the viewer that the ultimate purpose of Christ’s birth was his sacrificial death.

The Throne of Wisdom (Sedes Sapientiae)

In many medieval sculptures and diptychs featuring the Virgin, Child, and Cross, Mary acts literally as the Sedes Sapientiae (the Throne of Wisdom).
• Because Christ is born through her, her body is the physical vessel that bridges heaven and earth.
• By displaying her child alongside the instrument of his death, she is presented as the Hodegetria – the one who “shows the way” to salvation, pointing the viewer toward Christ's ultimate act of redemption on the cross.

Eucharistic Symbolism

When used in church altarpieces, the baby and the crucifix heavily emphasize the Eucharist (Holy Communion). The infant represents the “Host” (the bread/body) and the crucifix represents the sacrifice. It reminds the congregation during Mass that the bread they are receiving is the very flesh that was born of the Virgin and broken on the cross