Black Madonna of Częstochowa
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The Black Madonna of Częstochowa (Czarna Madonna or Matka Boska Częstochowska in Polish, Imago thaumaturga Beatae Virginis Mariae Immaculatae Conceptae, in Claro Monte in Latin, Ченстоховская икона Божией Матери in Church Slavonic) is a holy icon of the Virgin Mary, that is both Poland's holiest relic, and one of the country's national symbols.
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[edit] Icon
The origins of the icon and the date of its composition is still a hotly contested topic between scholars. This difficulty in dating the icon stems from the fact that the original image was painted over after being badly damaged by Hussite raiders in 1430. Medieval restorers unfamiliar with the encaustic method found that the paints they applied to the damaged areas "simply sloughed off the image" according to the medieval chronicler Risinius, and their solution was to erase the original image and repainting it on the original canvas, which was believed to be holy because of its legendary origins as a table top from the home of the Holy Family. The painting displays a traditional composition well-known in the icons of Eastern Orthodoxy. The Virgin Mary is shown as the "Hodegetria" ("One Who Shows the Way"). In it the Virgin directs attention away from herself, gesturing with her right hand toward Jesus as the source of salvation. In turn, the child extends his right hand toward the viewer in blessing while holding a book of gospels in his left hand. The icon shows the Madonna in fleur de lys robes.
[edit] History
Although the Icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa has been intimately tied with Poland for the past six hundred years, its history prior to its arrival is shrouded in numerous legends which trace the icon's origin back to St. Luke who painted it on a cypress table top from the house of the Holy Family.
One of the oldest documents from Jasna Góra states that the picture travelled from Jerusalem, via Constantinople, to finally reach Częstochowa in August 1382 . The Black Madonna is credited with miraculously saving the monastery of Jasna Góra (English: Bright Mount) from a Swedish 17th century invasion, The Deluge, which actually changed the course of the war. This event led King Jan Kazimierz to "crown" Our Lady of Częstochowa ("the Black Madonna") as Queen and Protector of Poland in the cathedral of Lwów on April 1, 1656.
Another legend concerning the Black Madonna of Częstochowa is that the presence of the holy painting saved its church from being destroyed in a fire, but not before the flames darkened the fleshtone pigments. The legend concerning the two scars on the Black Madonna's right cheek is that a Hussite robber drew his sword upon the image and inflicted two deep strikes. When the robber tried to inflict a third strike, he fell to the ground and squirmed in agony until his death. Despite past attempts to repair these scars, they had always reappeared. [1]Some would be fast to point that they are the symbols of identification with the sacred Eye of Horus that Isis Hathor used.
Another legend translates that as the robber struck the painting twice, the face of the virgin Mary started to bleed, in a panic the scared Hussites retreated and left the painting.
Because of the Black Madonna, Częstochowa is regarded as the most popular shrine in Poland, with a pilgrimage made there every year by many Polish Catholics. Often, people will line up on the side of the road to hand provisions to the pilgrims as those who walk the distance to Częstochowa walk the entire day and have little means to get things for themselves.
[edit] Devotion to the image of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa in other traditions
In Vodou, it is believed that a common depiction of Erzulie has its roots in copies of the icon of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, brought to Haiti by Polish soldiers fighting on both sides of the Haitian Revolution from 1802 onwards.[1] In her Petro nation aspect as Erzulie Dantor she is often depicted as a scarred and buxom woman, holding a child protectively in one hand and a knife in the other. She is a warrior and particularly a fierce protector of women and children. In Santeria, this image is referred to as Santa Barbara Africana.
Ukrainians also have a special devotion for the Madonna of Częstochowa. (Refer to article on The Madonna of Częstochowa in Belz.)
[edit] See also
- Fleur de lys
- Black Madonna
- Jasna Góra Monastery
- Black Madonna Shrine, Missouri
- National Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa
[edit] External links
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