The Black Madonna
of Czestochowa
Queen of Poland
Czestochowa, Poland (1382)
Feast Day August 26
The
Black Madonna was painted by St. Luke the Evangelist; and it was while painting
the picture, Mary told him about the life of Jesus, which he later
incorporated into his gospel.
The next time
we hear of the painting is in 326 A.D. when St. Helen found it in Jerusalem
and gave it to her son and had a shrine built for it in Constantinople. During
a battle, the picture was placed on the walls of the city, and the enemy army
fled. Our Lady saved the city from destruction. The picture
was owned by many other people until 1382 when invading Tartars attacked a
Prince Ladislaus' fortress, where the painting was located. A Tartar's arrow
lodged into through the throat of the Madonna. The Prince transfered the painting
to a church in Czestochowa, Poland.
In 1430, the church was invaded and a looter struck the painting two times with his sword, but before he could strike it another time, he fell to the ground in agony and pain, and died. The sword cuts and the arrow wound are still visible on the painting. The miracles worked by Our Lady of Czestochowa seem to occur mainly on a public scale. During her stay in Constantinople, she is reported to have frightened the besieging Saracens away from the city. Similarly, in 1655 a small group of Polish defenders was able to drive off a much larger army of Swedish invaders from the sanctuary. The following year, the Holy Virgin was acclaimed Queen of Poland by King Casimir.
When the Russians were
at Warsaw's gates in 1920, thousands of people walked from Warsaw to Czestochowa
to ask the Madonna for help. The Poles defeated the Russians at a battle along
the Wisla (or Vistula) River. Today, every school child knows the victory
as "The Miracle on the Wisla."
During World War II under
German occupation, the faithful made pilgrimages as a show of defiance. That
spirit deepened during the atheistic years of
Soviet-enforced communism. Government attempts to stop the pilgrimages failed.
In the early 1980s, Walesa didn't
drape himself in the Polish flag when he was leading the outlawed Solidarity
movement; he placed an Our Lady of Czestochowa lapel pin on his jacket. Poles
knew it to be a subversive message. Pope
John Paul II, a native son of Poland, prayed before the Madonna during his
historic visit in 1979, several months after his election to the Chair of
Peter. The Pope made another visit to Our Lady of Czestochowa in 1983
and again in 1991.
Why
is She Black?
There have been reports for centuries of miraculous events such as spontaneous healings occuring to those who made a pilgrimage to the portrait. It is known as the 'Black Madonna" because of the soot residue that discolors the painting. The soot is the result of centuries of votive lights and candles burning in front of the painting. With the decline of communism in Poland, pilgrimages to the Black Madonna have increased dramatically.
| The Song:
"Black Madonna"
There is a recess on this earth, |
| A prayer
to Our Lady of Czestochowa
O Mary, our dear Lady of Czestochowa, look graciously
upon your children in this troubled and sinful world Embrace us all in your
loving and Motherly protection. Protect our young from godless ways; assist
our dear ones grown old with age to prepare for their journey home; shield our
defenceless unborn from the horrors of abortion, and be our strength against
all sin. Spare your children from all hatred, discrimination and war. Fill our
hearts, our homes and our world with that peace and love which comes only from
your Son, whom you so tenderly embrace. O, Queen and Mother, be our comfort
and strength! |
| Litany
to Our Lady of Czestochowa
Lord, have mercy. |
Additional information about
the
miraculous painting and Czestochowa
The Sanctuary in Częstochowa:
www.jasnagora.pl (information about the
painting, about history etc.)
www.jasnagora.com (information for
the press)
both information will be in several foreign languages
Jasna Góra:
It is a Name of the hill in
Częstochowa. Polish people say:
- the Holy Mother of Częstochowa, or
- Lady of Jasna Góra or
- the Black Madonna.
The Holy Mass in Jasna Góra (Częstochowa):
Kaplica Cudownego Obrazu
(The Chapel of the Miraculous Painting):
Tel./Fax: (48-34) 365-17-42.
Polish people sing:
Mary, the Queen of Poland,
I am by Your side, I remember,
I am by Your side, I am staying up.
Polish version:
Maryjo, Królowo Polski,
Jestem przy Tobie, pamiętam,
Jestem przy Tobie, czuwam, czuwam.
People can hear this song at 21.00 at
Radio: UKF-FM 100,6 MHz or
www.radiojasnagora.pl
It is called Jasna Góra Appeal (Apel Jasnogórski).
It is also possible hear Bogurodzica – The first Hymn of Poland devoted to the
Holy Mother.
Information, placed on the
official website of Częstochowa (Jasna Góra):
- tradition – legend says that
painting was painted by Saint Luke Evangelist on the board of the table at which
the Holy Family ate.
- the Jasna Góra painting was painted in XIII century,
- it is a typical painting for Byzantine tradition, it is an Icon called
Hodegetria. Hodegetria – means – this person, who leads.
- The Face of the Madonna is brown (like honey), because this style is typical
for painting of icons and because of varnish.
The size of the painting is: 122,2 cm x 82,2 cm x 3,5 cm.
- Foundation Marypages -
|
Our foundation has the
objective to develop, expand and maintain the Marypages website to
promote the Roman Catholic belief and especially the Devotion of Our
Blessed Mother, Mary.
If your donation is 50 Euro or
higher, then you will also receive a beautiful
light blue rosary from Lourdes. In the rosary is a little holy water
from the source in Lourdes.
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