The Black Madonna is a painting of the Madonna and Christ Child which legend states was painted by St. Luke the Evangelist. St. Luke is believed to have used a tabletop from a table built by the carpenter Jesus. It was while Luke was painting Mary that she told him about the events in the life of Jesus that he eventually used in his gospel.
This same legend states that that when St. Helen went to Jerusalem to search for the true cross in 326 AD, she happened upon this portrait of Our Lady. She gave it to her son, Constantine, who had a shrine built to house it. In a critical battle with the Saracens, the portrait was displayed from the walls of Constantinople and the Saracens were subsequently routed. The portrait was credited with saving the city. The painting was eventually owned by Charlemagne who subsequently presented the painting to Prince Leo of Ruthenia (northwest Hungary).It remained at the royal palace in Ruthenia until an invasion occurred in the eleventh century. The king prayed to Our Lady to aid his small army and as a result of this prayer a darkness overcame the enemy troops who, in their confusion, began attacking one another. Ruthenia was saved as a result of this intervention by Our Lady. In the fourteenth century, it was transferred to the Mount of Light (Jasna Gora) in Poland in response to a request made in a dream of Prince Ladislaus of Opola.
Although I’m an Orthodox by denomination, I’ve always been fascinated by this Madonna, of which my grandmother had a small icon in her house, attached to a candle. So I could say that a great part of my childhood witnessed the gentle and discreet presence of this sacred painting. I liked to stare at it, everytime I came to my grannie’s to spend the holidays, and I really cherished it. Some time ago, in the recent years, it appeared to me in a dream in the form of a huge icon that I was contemplating as if I’d been as small as a fly, trying to grasp its entirety, trying to be as close as possible to it. I love thee, Mother of God and praise this Holy Face of Yours, and its painter! Bless my life and my country!
Thank you, great info. Walked to the National Shrine of OLC from my childhood home daily for decades. Visited the Original in Poland the week of St JP II’s death. Has always been dear to me.
Święta Mario matko Boża zmiłuj się nad nami grzesznikami, ocal naszą ojczyznę Polskę od złego.