medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
A website that appears reputable has this to say:
"If it is true that a large proportion of the ancient miraculous Madonnas of
the world are black, why is this phenomenon generally so little known today?
A poetic verse from 1629 catalogues some of the national shrines of Europe,
all of which, at the heart, seem to represent an ancient tradition of
devotion to a statue of the Black Virgin. Many such Black Virgins exist,
often having survived centuries of war, some in large basilicas, others in
village churches, yet others in museums and libraries. Many more are also in
private hands, for a variety of reasons. Some are painted statues, others
are murals or paintings, and some are statues carved from ebony.
Some of the most famous Black Virgin shrines are Chartes, Loreto, Zaragoza,
Rocamadour, Montserrat, and Guadalupe. Early textual references describing
images of Black Virgins are few, although Peter Comestor (12th c. biblical
scholar of Troyes and Paris), St. Bernard of Clairvaux (an early leader of
the medieval Knights Templar) and Nicephorus Callixtus (1256-1335), the
Byzantine church historian, all have had something to say on this subject.
Many Christians, both clergy and laity, simply accept that these shrines to
the Black Virgin, and the loyal, fervent devotion they foster, are
ultimately inexplicable, a mystery of the divine feminine. Some writers
believe they represent a Christian form of Isis, as a mother with child.
These shrines are believed to have special healing powers, among other
things, and to be places where newly married brides can go for fertility
blessings. There is also a strong religious folk tradition connecting the
Black Virgins to the medieval Knights Templar and also with Mary Magdelene.
A famous Black Virgin - la Madone des Fenestres (the Madonna of the
Windows), near St-Martin-de-Vesubie (one site where many Templars were
massacred) was believed by folk tradition in the area to have originally
been brought to southern France by Mary Magdelene. Whether such legends
spring from a kernel of truth, or are purely legendary, it is still
intriguing to examine the sheer number of such place-names, legends, and
beliefs about these subjects and their interconnections, at least in the
popular mind. And that in itself says something."
I don't believe that the "black" in question has anything to do with
Benedictines, traditionally called "black monks," because of the color of
their habits. My question was spurred by what is mentioned above: "folk
tradition" and "sheer number."
MG
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