page_title: Church of Notre-Dame of Dijon
section_title: Statue of Notre-Dame de Bon-Espoir
hierarchical_section_title: Church of Notre-Dame of Dijon / Statue of Notre-Dame de Bon-Espoir
caption_attribution_description: Église Notre-Dame de Dijon, La Vierge noire
context_page_description: The Church of Notre-Dame of Dijon is a Roman Catholic church in Dijon. Considered a masterpiece of 13th-century Gothic architecture, it is situated at the heart of the preserved old centre of the city. It is located in Place Notre-Dame, near the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy and opposite the rue Musette.
  Work on the church began around 1230.
  The church contains the statue of Notre-Dame de Bon-Espoir, formerly called the Black Madonna. The church's decorations also include two symbols of Dijon: the jacquemart and the owl. The church was classified as a Monument Historique in the List of historic monuments of 1840. The chapel of the Assumption, the sacristy, and the gallery that links them have been listed as Monuments Historiques since 5 July 2002.
context_section_description: In the south apsidiole above an altar of goldsmithery is a wooden statue called Notre-Dame de Bon-Espoir (Our Lady of Good Hope). Dating from the 11th or 12th century, this statue of the Virgin is thought to be one of the oldest in France. Originally she was seated on a throne, holding the baby Jesus on her knees. Later the throne was removed and the back of the statue was sawn off and replaced by a piece of wood. The baby Jesus disappeared during the French Revolution, in 1794. By the 18th century, the Virgin's hands had been lost. In contrast, her face is almost undamaged. For several centuries, the statue was often shown crowned and wearing a robe. From 1959, it was decided to no longer use these decorations, so that everyone could see the complete Romanesque statue.
  Originally, the sculpted clothes of the Virgin had a Romanesque polychrome decoration and her face was pale brown. In the 16th or 17th century, the statue was painted black, for an unknown reason. In 1945, this layer of paint was removed, revealing the original colours. However, a black tint was applied to the face only, to maintain the tradition. In 1963, this was removed, and the face returned to its original colouring. Now the statue can no longer be considered a Black Virgin — rather, it is a former Black Virgin.
  This statue is now called Notre-Dame de Bon-Espoir (Our Lady of Good Hope), but in the 15th century, it had two names: Notre-Dame de l'Apport (Our Lady of the Market) and Notre Dame de l'Espoir (Our Lady of Hope). This latter name prevailed from the time of the deliverance of Dijon from the siege of 1513. In the 17th century, it took on its current name.
caption: Notre-Dame de Bon-Espoir in robes, 2007
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