Black Madonna

Black Madonna
The term Black Madonna or Black Virgin tends to refer to statues or paintings in Western Christendom of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus, where both figures are depicted with dark skin. Examples of the Black Madonna can be found both in Catholic and Orthodox countries.
The paintings are usually icons, which are Byzantine in origin or style, some of which were produced in 13th- or 14th-century Italy. Other examples from the Middle East, Caucasus or Africa, mainly Egypt and Ethiopia, are even older. Statues are often made of wood but are occasionally made of stone, painted, and up to tall. They fall into two main groups: free-standing upright figures or seated figures on a throne. About 400–500 Black Madonnas have been recorded in Europe, with the number related to how they are classified. There are at least 180 Vierges Noires in Southern France alone. There are hundreds of copies made since the medieval era. Some are displayed in museums, but most are in churches or shrines and are venerated by believers. Some are associated with miracles and attract substantial numbers of pilgrims.
Black Madonnas come in different forms. Speculations behind the basis of the dark hue of each individual icon or statue vary greatly and some have been controversial. Explanations range from Madonnas made from dark wood, or Madonnas that have turned darker over time, due to factors such as aging or candle smoke, to a study by Jungian scholar Ean Begg into the potential pagan origins of the cult of the black Madonna and child.
Another suggestion is that dark-skinned representations of pre-Christian deities were re-envisioned as the Madonna and child.
Studies and research
Research into the Black Madonna phenomenon is limited. Begg links the refrain from the Song of Solomon, ‘I am black, and I am beautiful’ to the Queen of Sheba. Recently, however, interest in this subject has gathered more momentum.
Important early studies of dark-skinned holy images in France were by Camille Flammarion (1888), Marie Durand-Lefebvre (1937), Emile Saillens (1945), and Jacques Huynen (1972).
The first notable study in English of the origin and meaning of the Black Madonnas appears to have been presented by Leonard Moss at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science on December 28, 1952. Moss divided the images into three categories: (1) dark brown or black Madonnas with physiognomy and skin pigmentation matching that of the indigenous population; (2) various art forms that have turned black as a result of certain physical factors such as deterioration of lead-based pigments, accumulated smoke from the use of votive candles, and accumulation of grime over the ages, and (3) residual category with no ready explanation.
In the cathedral at Chartres, there were two Black Madonnas: , a 1508 dark walnut copy of a 13th-century silver Madonna, standing atop a high pillar, surrounded by candles; and , a replica of an original destroyed during the French Revolution. Restoration work on the cathedral resulted in the painting in 2014 of , to reflect an earlier 19th-century painted style. The statue is no longer a "Black Madonna" and the restoration was severely criticized for wiping away the past.
Some scholars have chosen to explore the significance of the dark-skinned complexion to pilgrims and worshippers rather than focusing on whether this depiction was intentional. By virtue of their unusual presence, the Black Madonnas have sometimes acted to make their shrines revered pilgrimage sites. Monique Scheer attributes the importance of the dark-skinned depiction to its connection with authenticity. The reason for this connection is the perceived age of the figures.
List of Black Madonnas
Africa
Algeria, Algiers: "Our Lady of Africa"
Côte d’Ivoire, Yamoussoukro: Madonna and child inside Basilica of Our Lady of Peace.
Senegal, Popenguine: "Notre-Dame de la Délivrance"
South Africa, Soweto: "The Black Madonna"
Asia
Japan
Tsuruoka city, Yamagata prefecture: Tsuruoka Tenshudô Catholic Church features a black Madonna statue given by France during Meiji period
The Philippines
Antipolo, Rizal: (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage of Antipolo)
Ermita, City of Manila: (Our Lady of Guidance)
Santa Ana, City of Manila: (Our Lady of the Abandoned)
Parañaque: (Our Lady of the Good Event)
Lapu-Lapu City: (Our Lady of the Rule)
Naga, Camarines Sur: (Our Lady of Peñafrancia)
Piat, Cagayan: (Our Lady of Piat)
Joroan, Tiwi, Albay: (Our Lady of Salvation)
India
Dhori Mata
Korvi Mata, Dediapada, Gujarat
Turkey
Trabzon: Sümela Monastery
Europe
Austria
Lavanttal, Carinthia, Austria: St. Andrä im Lavanttal Basilica Maria Loreto
Belgium
Brugge, "Our Lady of Regla"
Brussels: "De Zwerte Lieve Vrouwo", St. Catherine Church
Halle (Flemish Brabant) : Sint-Martinusbasiliek
Liège: La Vierge Noire d'Outremeuse,
Lier: Onze lieve vrouw ter Gratien
Scherpenheuvel-Zichem: Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel
Tournai: Our Lady of Flanders in Tournai Cathedral
Verviers: "Black Virgin of the Recollects", Notre-Dame des Récollets Church,
Walcourt: (Notre-Dames de Walcourt)
Croatia
Marija Bistrica: Our Lady of Bistrica, Queen of Croatia
Czech Republic
Brno: Assumption of Virgin Mary Minor Basilica, St Thomas's Abbey, Brno
Prague: The Madonna of Breznice; The Black Madonna in The Church of Our Lady Under the Chain (Kostel Panny Marie pod řetězem) The Black Madonna on the House of the Black Madonna.
TROJA CHATEAU chapel- original "Montserrat Madonna" from Old Town Byzantine building (pg.100 of Martin Krummholz ISBN 978-80-7010-131-5)
France
Aix-en-Provence, (Bouches-du-Rhône): Notre-Dame des Graces, Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur d'Aix
Arconsat: (Notre-Dame des Champs)
Aurillac, (Cantal): Notre-Dame des Neiges
Beaune: Our Lady of Beaune
Besançon: Our Lady de Gray
Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise, (Puy-de-Dôme): Saint-André Church, Notre-Dame de Vassivière
Bourg-en-Bresse, (Ain): 13th century
Chartres, (Eure-et-Loir): crypt of the Cathedral of Chartres, Notre-Dame-de-Sous-Terre
Clermont-Ferrand, (Puy-de-Dôme)
Cusset: the Black Virgin of Cusset
Dijon, (Côte-d'Or): Church of Notre-Dame of Dijon
Douvres-la-Délivrande, Basilique Notre-Dame de la Délivrande, "Notre-Dame de la Délivrande"
Dunkerque, (Nord) : Chapelle des Dunes
Guingamp, (Côtes-d'Armor): Basilica of Notre Dame de Bon Secours.
La Chapelle-Geneste, (Haute-Loire: Notre Dame de La Chapelle Geneste
Laon, (Aisne): Notre-Dame Cathedral, statue of 1848
Le Havre,(Seine-Maritime): statue near the Graville Abbey (Abbaye de Graville)
Le Puy-en-Velay: In 1254 when passing through on his return from the Holy Land Saint Louis IX of France gave the cathedral an ebony image of the Blessed Virgin clothed in gold brocade (Notre-Dame du Puy). It was destroyed during the Revolution, but replaced at the Restoration with a copy that continues to be venerated.
Liesse-Notre-Dame, (Aisne): Notre-Dame de Liesse, statue destroyed in 1793, copy of 1857
Marseille, (Bouches-du-Rhône): Notre-Dame-de-Confession, Abbey of St. Victor; Notre-Dame d'Huveaune, Saint-Giniez Church
Mauriac, Cantal: Notre Dame des Miracles
Mende, (Lozère) : Cathedral (Basilique-cathédrale Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Privat de Mende)
Menton, (Alpes-Maritimes): St. Michel Church
Meymac, (Corrèze): Meymac Abbey
Molompize: Notre-Dame de Vauclair
Mont-Saint-Michel: Notre-Dame du Mont-Tombe
Myans, (Savoie): Sanctuaire Notre-Dame de Myans
Paris, (Neuilly-sur-Seine): Notre-Dame de Bonne Délivrance, in the motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Thomas of Villanova
Quimper, (Finistère): Eglise de Guéodet, nommée encore Notre-Dame-de-la-Cité
Riom, (Puy-de-Dôme): Notre-Dame du Marthuret
Rocamadour, (Lot): Our Lady of Rocamadour
Sainte Marie (Réunion) :
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (Camarque) Avignon: Annual Roma pilgrimage and festival celebrating Sara, the patron saint of the Roma
Soissons (Aisne): statue of the 12th century
Tarascon, (Bouches-du-Rhône): Notre-Dame du Château
Thuret, (Puy-de-Dôme)
Toulouse: The basilica Notre-Dame de la Daurade in Toulouse, France had housed the shrine of a Black Madonna. The original icon was stolen in the fifteenth century, and its first replacement was burned by Revolutionaries in 1799 on the Place du Capitole. The icon presented today is an 1807 copy of the fifteenth century Madonna. Blackened by the hosts of candles, the second Madonna was known from the sixteenth century as Our Lady La Noire
Tournemire, Château d'Anjony, Our Lady of Anjony
Vaison-la-Romaine, (Vaucluse): statue on a hill
Vichy, (Allier): Saint-Blaise Church
Germany
Altötting (Bavaria): Gnadenkapelle (Chapel of the Miraculous Image)
Beilstein (Rhineland-Palatinate): Karmeliterkirche St. Joseph
Bielefeld (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Düsseldorf-Benrath (North Rhine-Westphalia): Pfarrkirche St. Cäcilia
Hirschberg an der Bergstraße (Baden-Württemberg): Wallfahrtskirche St. Johannes Baptist
Schloss Hohenstein, Upper Franconia (Bavaria)
Köln (Nord Rhein Westfalen): St. Maria in der Kupfergasse
Ludwigshafen-Oggersheim (Rhineland-Palatinate): Schloss- und Wallfahrtskirche Mariä Himmelfahrt (Ludwigshafen)
Mainau (Baden-Württemberg): Schlosskirche St. Marien
Munich (Bavaria): Theatine Church; St. Boniface's Abbey
Rastatt (Baden-Württemberg): Einsiedelner Kapelle
Regensburg (Bavaria): Regensburg Cathedral
Remagen (Rhineland-Palatinate): Kapelle Schwarze Madonna
Spabrücken (Rhineland-Palatinate)
Stetten ob Lontal, Niederstotzingen (Baden-Württemberg)
Windhausen in Boppard-Herschwiesen (Rhineland-Palatinate)
Wipperfürth (North Rhine-Westphalia): St. Johannes, Kreuzberg
Wuppertal-Beyenburg (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Greece
Hidden church of the Black Madonna, Vamos, Crete
Hungary
Cathedral Basilica of Eger: Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
Ireland
Dublin (Leinster): Our Lady of Dublin in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church
Italy
Biella (Piedmont): Black Virgin of Oropa, sanctuary of Oropa
Canneto Valley near Settefrati (Lazio): Madonna di Canneto
Casale Monferrato (Piedmont): Our Lady of Crea. In the hillside Sanctuary at Crea (Santuario di Crea), a cedar-wood figure, said to be one of three Black Virgins brought to Italy from the Holy Land c. 345 by St. Eusebius.
Castelmonte, Prepotto (Friuli-Venezia Giulia)
Gubbio, Italy: The Niger-Regin square, discovered carved in the cave of Sibilla Eugubina on Mount Ingino, is considered to be a word square form the "Black Queen". Seemingly of Neo-Templar origin, it is dated between 1600–1800 CE, was discovered in 2003, and destroyed by vandalism in 2012.
Loreto (Marche): Basilica della Santa Casa
Naples (Campania): Santuario-Basilica SS Carmine Maggiore
Pescasseroli (Abruzzo): Madonna di Monte Tranquillo
Positano (Campania): Located in the church of Santa Maria Assunta, the story of how it got there—sailors shouting "Posa, posa!" ("Put it down, put it down!")—gave the town its name.
San Severo (Apulia): "La Madonna del Soccorso" (The Madonna of Succor), St. Severinus Abbot and Saint Severus Bishop Faeto. Statue in gold garments, object of a major three-day festival that attracts over 350,000 people to this small town.
Seminara (Calabria): Maria Santissima dei poveri
Tindari (Sicily): Our Lady of Tindari
Torre Annunziata (Campania): Madonna della Neve
Venice (Veneto): Madonna della Salute, Santa Maria della Salute
Viggiano (Basilicata): Santuario Madonna del Sacro Monte
Kosovo
Vitina-: Church of the Black Madonna, where Mother Teresa is believed to have heard her calling.
Lithuania
Aušros vartai: Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn
Our Lady of Šiluva: Our Lady of the Pine Woods
Luxembourg
Esch-sur-Sûre
Luxembourg: Luxembourg-Grund
Luxembourg: St. John's Church
Macedonia
Kališta, Monastery: Madonna icon in the Nativity of Our Most Holy Mother of God church
Ohrid, Church: Madonna with the child
Malta
Ħamrun: Our Lady of Atoċja, a medieval painting brought to Malta by a merchant in the year 1630, depicting a statue found in Atocha, a parish in Madrid, Spain, and widely known as Il-Madonna tas-Samra. (This can mean 'tanned Madonna', 'brown Madonna', or 'Madonna of Samaria'.)
Poland
Częstochowa: Our Lady of Czestochowa
In the United States, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania houses a reproduction of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa. A second shrine to Our Lady of Częstochowa is located near Eureka, Missouri.
In Israel there are two reproductions of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa: One in St. Peter's Church in Tel Aviv, and another in the Abbey of the Dormition in Jerusalem.
Głogówek: Our Lady of Loretto
Portugal
Nazaré (Oeste Subregion): Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazaré; see: the legend of Nazaré
Romania
: Maica Domnului Siriaca –
Cacica: Madona Neagra – Biserica Cacica
Bucuresti: Madona Neagra – Biserica Dichiu
Russia
Kostroma (Kostroma Oblast): Theotokos of St. Theodore also known as Our Lady of St. Theodore (Федоровская Богоматерь), in Theophany Monastery
Our Lady of Wladimir, from the 12th century
Black Virgin of Taganrog, Taganrog Old Cemetery
Serbia
Apatin (Vojvodina): Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church
Slovenia
Koprivna, Črna na Koroškem: St. Anne's Church, Koprivna – the altar of Black Madonna
Spain
Andújar (Province of Jaén): (Our Lady of Cabeza), named after the mountain, or .
Chipiona (Province of Cádiz): or (Our Lady of Regla or the Virgin of Regla), considered by some as the custodian of the Rule of Saint Augustine
Coria (Province of Cáceres): (Our Lady of Argeme)
El Puerto de Santa María (Province of Cádiz): (The Virgin of the Miracles)
Guadalupe (Province of Cáceres): (Our Lady of Guadalupe, Extremadura)
Jerez de la Frontera (Province of Cádiz): (Our Lady Of Mercy)
Madrid (Community of Madrid): (Our Lady of Atocha)
Lluc, Majorca (Balearic Islands): (Our Lady of Lluc), Lluc Monastery
Monistrol de Montserrat (Catalonia): (Virgin of Montserrat) or "" in the Benedictine abbey of Santa Maria de Montserrat
Ponferrada (Province of León): (Our Lady of the Holm Oak)
Salamanca (Province of Salamanca): (The Virgin of France's Rock, named after the local mountain called )
Santiago de Compostela (Galicia): A replica of ""
Tenerife (Canary Islands): (Virgin of Candelaria), or ""
Toledo (Province of Toledo): (Dark Virgin), statue of in the Cathedral of Toledo (The Enslavement of Our Lady of the Tabernacle)
Torreciudad (Huesca): Our Lady of Torreciudad
Sweden
Lund Cathedral Attached to a marble pillar in the crypt: Black madonna with child
Skee Kyrka, Skee, Bohuslän former Norwegian province. Black madonna with beheaded child
Switzerland
Einsiedeln (Canton of Schwyz): Our Lady of the Hermits
In the United States, a reproduction of Our Lady of the Hermits was gifted to the St. Meinrad Archabbey located in St. Meinrad, Indiana
Sonogno, Valle Verzasca (Canton of Ticino): Santa Maria Loretana
Uetikon upon Lake (Canton of Zürich): Catholic Church Saint Francis of Assisi
Metzerlen-Mariastein (Canton of Solothurn): Mariastein Abbey
Ascona (Canton of Ticino): Black Chapel
Lugano (Canton of Ticino): Chiesa di Santa Maria di Loreto
Ukraine
Tsarytsya Karpat (Hoshiv Monastery): The Queen of the Carpathian Land
United Kingdom
St. Mary Willesden (Our Lady of Willesden): The original Shrine of Our Lady of Willesden.
Our Lady of Częstochowa (Church of Our Lady of Czestochowa, Nottingham)
North America
Costa Rica
Cartago, Cartago Province: Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles (Our Lady of the Angels Basilica)
Cuba
Regla, Havana Province: Nuestra Señora de Regla (Spanish for Our Lady of Regla)
Mexico
Tepeyac, Mexico City: Our Lady of Guadalupe
Trinidad and Tobago
Siparia: La Divina Pastora
Gran Couva: Our Lady of Montserrat
United States
Black Madonna Shrine, Missouri
National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Our Lady of Ferguson
Detroit Michigan Shrine of the Black Madonna Church
Canada
Windsor, Ontario -Black Madonna chapel located at Italian banquet hall Ciociaro club.
South America
Brazil
Aparecida, São Paulo: Our Lady of Aparecida or Our Lady Appeared (Nossa Senhora Aparecida or Nossa Senhora da Conceição Aparecida) in the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida
Chile
Andacollo, Elqui Province: La Virgen Morena (Spanish for The Brunette Virgin)
See also
Black Nazarene
La virgen negra
Mariology
Sofia, Bulgaria
References
Sources
Channell, J., "Black Virgin Sites in France"
Rozett, Ella. "Index of Black Madonnas Worldwide", InterfaithMary.net
External links
List of Black Madonnas
The Black Virgin – Karen Ralls
Montserrat
Pilgrimage
Black Madonna gallery by Canon Jim Irvine, New Brunswick, Canada
The Black Madonna "The work of God"
Nuestra Señora de Atocha
Black Madonna Pilgrimage to Central France
Black Madonna photo collection on Flickr
Black Madonnas and other Mysteries of Mary – Ella Rozett
Sciorra, Joseph. "The Black Madonna of Thirteenth Street", Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore, Vol. 30, Spring-Summer 2004
Black Madonna in modern art - see Black Madonna by BystreetSky Artist https://web.archive.org/web/20180802193137/https://www.bystreetsky.com/bystreetsky-art?lightbox=dataItem-j74w6ola
Virgin Mary in art
Catholic paintings
Catholic sculpture