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Monicathree
Guest
I have a friend who brought me back something from a pilgrimage in France, I believe. I think it is the Black Madonna. I have heard of this before…any info?
peace
peace
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Bruised_Reed
Guest
The Black Madonna commonly refers to the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa (and I was almost able to spell that without looking 
) but a quick Google search revealed more.
Go here for info onCzestochowa and here for other Black Madonnas.
Our Lady of Czestochowa (chest-a-ho-va) turned black because of soot from candles and I think it was exposed to a fire at some point.
) but a quick Google search revealed more.Go here for info onCzestochowa and here for other Black Madonnas.
Our Lady of Czestochowa (chest-a-ho-va) turned black because of soot from candles and I think it was exposed to a fire at some point.
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Hesychios
Guest
The only black Madonna I know of for sure, and probably the one referred to, is an icon in Poland.
It is Our Lady of Czestochowa.
So Blood Rain is right, as far as I am concerned, but I am not sure of the reason for the darkness of the skin. I would have to say that icons are written with natural pigments and binders. Since the skin only is regarded as dark, I would have to say that the pigment and/or binder of the skin color only has been affected. So it’s probably not mainly smoke causing the change.
It is safe to say that this icon is probably older than any standing structure in the United States, so all things considered it is in remarkable shape!
The Holy Father has an affection for it (being from the same region) and made a pilgrimage to it shortly after he was elected Pope.
It was probably written in the lands of K’yivan Rus, and has been regarded as miraculous for a variety of reasons, usually related to protection from invaders. It carried several different descriptions in the past, but the earliest one seems to be the Kyivan Mother of God. It is one of many icons which have been acclaimed as written by Saint Luke himself, but that appears unlikely.
The story of it’s origins, and means of travel have been romantically embellished and one might find any number of versions as to how it got to Czestochova in the first place.
But basically it was stolen.
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HagiaSophia
Guest
There are numerous books written on the many black Madonnas but online Wikipedia has the following entry:
"A Black Madonna (also, Black Virgin) is a statue or painting of Mary in which she is depicted as having black skin. Hundreds of them exist in southern France alone.
The factual cause of the Black Madonnas is simply that they are statues carved out of black wood or stone (such as Our Lady of Rocamadour, or have been blackened by centuries of candle smoke and incense burned before the images by worshippers. Hence these traditional Black Madonnas are ones that have a long history of devotion, and did not originally depict the Virgin as a woman of the African race. (Although such depictions are not uncommon in Modern Art.)…"
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