Black Madonna

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The Black Madonna of Czestochowa, Poland Czestochowska.jpg
The Black Madonna of Częstochowa, Poland
Black Madonna of Outremeuse, Liege, in a procession Procession 2006 - ndeg6.JPG
Black Madonna of Outremeuse, Liège, in a procession
Black Madonna of Guingamp Guingamp-madonna.jpg
Black Madonna of Guingamp
Madonna at House of the Black Madonna, Prague Praga, Stare Miasto, figura Czarnej Madonny.JPG
Madonna at House of the Black Madonna, Prague

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. [1] Examples of the Black Madonna can be found both in Catholic and Orthodox countries.

Contents

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.[ citation needed ] Statues are often made of wood but are occasionally made of stone, painted, and up to 75 cm (30 in) 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. [2] Another suggestion is that dark-skinned representations of pre-Christian deities were re-envisioned as the Madonna and child. [3]

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. [2] 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), [4] 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) miracle-worker Madonnas, the focus of the study, Black Madonnas found in areas of a Roman legion and, therefore, not a reflection of the current population's skin colour. [3]

In the cathedral at Chartres, there were two Black Madonnas: Notre Dame de Pilar, a 1508 dark walnut copy of a 13th-century silver Madonna, standing atop a high pillar, surrounded by candles; and Notre Dame de Sous-Terre, a replica of an original destroyed during the French Revolution. Restoration work on the cathedral resulted in the painting in 2014 of Notre Dame de Pilar, 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. [5] [6]

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. [7]

List of Black Madonnas

Africa

Our Lady of Guidance, Manila Nuestra Senora De Guia.jpg
Our Lady of Guidance, Manila

Asia

Japan

Black Madonna at Catholic Tsuruoka Church, Japan Black Madonna at Catholic Tsuruoka Church 1.jpg
Black Madonna at Catholic Tsuruoka Church, Japan
  • Tsuruoka city, Yamagata prefecture: Tsuruoka Tenshudô Catholic Church features a black Madonna statue given by France during Meiji period [11]

The Philippines

Our Lady of the Rule of Opon in Lapu-lapu City, Cebu, Philippines Virgen de Regla de Opon, Isla de Mactan, Cebu, FIlipinas.jpg
Our Lady of the Rule of Opon in Lapu-lapu City, Cebu, Philippines

India

Turkey

  • Trabzon: Sümela Monastery [15]

Europe

Austria

Belgium

Marija Bistrica Marija Bistrica.jpg
Marija Bistrica

Croatia

Czech Republic

TROJA CHATEAU chapel- original "Montserrat Madonna" from Old Town Byzantine building (pg.100 of Martin Krummholz ISBN 978-80-7010-131-5)

France

Madonna of Saint-Jouan-des-Guerets (35) Saint-Jouan-des-Guerets (35) Eglise 12.jpg
Madonna of Saint-Jouan-des-Guérets (35)
Vierge noire de Graville (Le Havre) Vierge noire de l'abbaye de Graville au Havre 1.JPG
Vierge noire de Graville (Le Havre)
The statue of the Black Virgin at Rocamadour ViergeNoire.jpg
The statue of the Black Virgin at Rocamadour
Black Madonna of Toulouse Vierge noire de Toulouse 2.jpg
Black Madonna of Toulouse

Germany

Shrine of Our Lady of Altotting, Altotting: Gnadenkapelle. Gnadenbild, Gnadenkapelle Altotting.jpeg
Shrine of Our Lady of Altötting, Altötting: Gnadenkapelle.

Greece

Hungary

Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Cathedral Basilica of Eger, Hungary. Boldogsagos Szuz Maria, mariapocsi kegykep masolata, Egri foszekesegyhaz, 2016 Hungary.jpg
Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Cathedral Basilica of Eger, Hungary.

Ireland

Italy

Tindari Madonna Bruna: restoration work in the 1990s found a medieval statue with later additions. Nigra sum sed formosa, meaning "I am black but beautiful" (from the Song of Songs, 1:5), is inscribed round a newer base. Patti Tindari Schwarze Madonna.jpg
Tindari Madonna Bruna: restoration work in the 1990s found a medieval statue with later additions. Nigra sum sed formosa, meaning "I am black but beautiful" (from the Song of Songs, 1:5), is inscribed round a newer base.
Street performer in Black Madonna costume in Venice Fotothek-df ge 0000379-Venedig.jpg
Street performer in Black Madonna costume in Venice

Kosovo

Lithuania

Our Lady of the Pine Woods Lithuania Siluvos baznycia2. 2007-04-21.jpg
Our Lady of the Pine Woods Lithuania

Luxembourg

Macedonia

Malta

Poland

Icon of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa, covered in a decorative silver shield, at the Jasna Gora Monastery in Poland. Czestochowa MB Czestochowska.jpg
Icon of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, covered in a decorative silver shield, at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Poland.

Portugal

Romania

Russia

Serbia

Slovenia

Spain

Image of the Virgin of Candelaria, in the Basilica of Candelaria (Tenerife). Virgendecandelariacamarin01.jpg
Image of the Virgin of Candelaria, in the Basilica of Candelaria (Tenerife).

Sweden

Switzerland

One of three of Turkey's surviving icons of the Theotokos on the island of Heybeliada at the Theological School of Halki BlackTheotokosHalki.png
One of three of Turkey's surviving icons of the Theotokos on the island of Heybeliada at the Theological School of Halki

Ukraine

United Kingdom

North America

Costa Rica

Cuba

Mexico

Trinidad and Tobago

United States

Canada

South America

Brazil

Nossa Senhora Aparecida NS Aparecida.png
Nossa Senhora Aparecida

Chile

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Black Madonnas: Origin, History, Controversy". udayton.edu. The Jungian scholar, San Begg published a study of Black Virgins and their possible pagan origins.
  2. 1 2 Begg, Ean (2017). The Cult of the Black Virgin. Chiron Publications. ISBN   978-1630514419.
  3. 1 2 Moss, Leonard W.; Cappannari, Stephen C. (1953). "The Black Madonna: An Example of Culture Borrowing". The Scientific Monthly. 76 (6): 319–324. Bibcode:1953SciMo..76..319M. ISSN   0096-3771. JSTOR   20482.
  4. ↑ L'Atmosphère : Météorologie populaire (1888), édition avec gravures fr.
  5. ↑ Filler, Martin "A Scandalous Makeover at Chartres", The New York Review of Books, December 14, 2014
  6. ↑ Ramm, Benjamin. "A Controversial Restoration That Wipes Away the Past", The New York Times, September 1, 2017
  7. ↑ Scheer, Monique (2002). "From Majesty to Mystery: Change in the Meanings of Black Madonnas from the Sixteenth to Nineteenth Centuries". The American Historical Review. 107 (5): 1412–1440. doi:10.1086/532852. JSTOR   10.1086/532852.
  8. ↑ "Algiers". interfaithmary.net. Archived from the original on 2017-08-11. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
  9. ↑ "Senegal". interfaithmary.net. Archived from the original on 2017-08-11. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
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  12. ↑ Baybay, Felicito S., "Patron Ng Kapayapaan At Mga Manlalakbay" Archived 2014-08-08 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ KD. "Our Lady Of The Rule National Shrine – Quirks of Life". quirksoflife.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
  14. ↑ Darang, Josephine. "Special Mass for Our Lady of Piat held July 9 at Sto. Domingo Church", Philippine Daily Enquirer, June 26, 2011
  15. ↑ Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism. "Sümela Monastry (sic)" . Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  16. ↑ "Your Question". udayton.edu. Archived from the original on 2015-02-19. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
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  18. ↑ "Church of Our Lady Below the Chain in Prague", Prague.cz Archived November 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
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  20. ↑ "Black Virgin of Aurillac". amigo.net. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008.
  21. ↑ "A Controversial Restoration That Wipes Away the Past (Published 2017)". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2019-12-13.
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  26. ↑ "Black Virgin of Marseilles". amigo.net. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008.
  27. ↑ "Black Virgin of Mauriac". amigo.net. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008.
  28. ↑ "Meymac". interfaithmary.net. Archived from the original on 2017-08-11. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
  29. ↑ Mariancalendar.org
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  31. ↑ "The Sanctuaries". visit-dordogne-valley.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-07-05. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
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  35. ↑ "Vierge des Croisades". 2007-12-19. Archived from the original on 2007-12-19. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
  36. ↑ Vanished Kingdoms: The History of Half-Forgotten Europe, Norman Davies
  37. ↑ Maria Farneti and Bruno Bartoletti, "Gubbio: The Italian Rennes-le-Chateau", 'Hera', issue 43, September 2005
  38. ↑ Gubbio e il mysterious del "NIGER REGIN"
  39. ↑ "IL MONTE TEMPIO E LA PIRAMIDE DI GUBBIO" by Mario Farneti & Bruno Bartoletti
  40. ↑ "Il santuario di Montevergine: La Madonna di Montevergine". Archived from the original on 2010-07-24. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  41. ↑ "Gay Madonnas in Montevergine: The Feast of Mamma Schiavona". The White Review. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  42. ↑ Collegamento Nazionale Santuari (10 October 2016). "Madonna del Sacro Monte di Viggiano" . Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  43. ↑ Yonat Shimron (17 August 2016). "Pilgrims crowd church where Mother Teresa once prayed". Religion News Service. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  44. ↑ "St. John's Church". Luxembourg City Tourist Office. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
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  49. ↑ "Jerusalem - mosaic of Madonna in Dormition abbey Poster • Pixers® • We live to change".
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  51. ↑ Dhalai, Richard, "La Divina Pastora", Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, March 19, 2007
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