In the early years of the Church, Christians circulated a gospel that told the life story of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Renowned Christian writers like Origen and Clement of Alexandria discussed this mysterious document, but powerful forces within the Church condemned it as heresy. When Pope Saint Damasus blocked its translation into Latin, it all but disappeared from Western Europe for over a thousand years. The Banned Book of Mary describes the extraordinary efforts of the Church's patriarchy to suppress the gospel and the subversive efforts of others to preserve Mary's story. It also explains how the secret story of Mary was preserved in medieval works of art that can still be seen on the walls of some of Italy's most famous churches and includes photographs of the Christian paintings that depict it. A history that reads like a mystery, this book asks why the Church tried so hard to suppress Mary's life story.