Our Lady of Czestochowa #1
by Barbara McMahon
Title
Our Lady of Czestochowa #1
Artist
Barbara McMahon
Medium
Photograph - Photography/digital
Description
This photo was taken in the Kazuby retreat in Renfrew County, Ontario. It is a banner approximately 25 ft. high x 15 ft. wide and is set in an open air church.
The origin of this miraculous image in Czestochowa, Poland is unknown for absolute certainty, but according to tradition the painting was a portrait of Our Lady done by St. John sometime after the Crucifixion of Our Lord and remained in the Holy Land until discovered by St. Helena of the Cross in the fourth century. The painting was taken to Constaninople, where St. Helena's son, the Emperor Constantine, erected a church for its enthronement. This image was revered by the people of the city. Polish people continue to honor their beloved portrait of the Madonna and Child, especially on August 26, the day reserved by St. Ladislaus. Because of the dark pigment on Our Lady's face and hands, the image is affectionately called the "Black Madonna," most beautifully prefigured in the Bible, in the Canticle of Canticles, "I am black but beautiful." The pigmentation is ascribed primarily to age and the need to keep it hidden for long periods of time in places where the only light was from candles, which colored the painting with smoke.
Uploaded
August 31st, 2013
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