Our Lady
Perpetual Virginity of Mary
Marian dogma · defined 649
Mary remained a virgin in conceiving her Son, a virgin in giving birth to him, a virgin in carrying him, a virgin in nursing him at her breast, always a virgin.
Origin
Affirmed in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds and by the Lateran Council of 649. The Church has always confessed Mary's virginity ante partum, in partu, et post partum.
Why it matters
Mary's virginity is the sign that her Son is God: born of a woman but not of the will of man. Her virginity also signifies the Church's undivided love of Christ.