Image: Black Madonna of Częstochowa. (2023, September 1). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Madonna_of_Cz%C4%99stochowa
Introduction
At the hour of the crucifixion, Jesus gave us His mother Mary to be our mother. Mary now reigns in heaven and is always ready to intercede for us with her Son. In the span of over two thousand years, Our Blessed Mother has made a number of visits to her children here on earth. I think she visits to gently remind us that she is only a prayer away from her son.
Mary’s visits to earth, known as apparitions, are the source of many of the titles with which we address our holy mother. These include the well know titles of Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Fatima as well as some lesser know apparitions such as Our Lady of Pontmain in France, Our Lady of Kibeho in Africa (a twentieth century apparition) and our Lady of Czestochowa in Poland.
Our Lady of Czestochowa
Our Lady of Czestochowa is sometimes referred to as Our Lady of Czestochowa and Jasna Gora. Jasna Gora means bright mountain in Polish and that’s where the apparition took place. In the visit to Czestochowa, Our Lady appeared not in person, as she did at Fatima and Lourdes, but in what we might refer to as a miraculous image, a picture.
Where it Began
Now there are two parts to the story of Our Lady of Czestochowa. The first of these parts is a legend dating back to the first days of Christianity. Although there is some continuity and historical record, there is no concrete proof, so this story is considered a legend. The legend originates around 33AD but begins being historically verifiable in 1382. Documents and records not only of its existence but also the tremendous number of miracles that have been attributed to whom we refer to as Our Lady of Czestochowa, which today is one of Poland’s greatest treasures.
So, to best tell our story, we’ll start with the legend that goes back to the very beginning. Now, we know that after Calvary and the crucifixion, John, as he was directed by Jesus from that point took the Blessed Virgin into his home and under his care for many years, and during that time the remaining Apostles visited her.
St. Joseph and the Table
Now we know that Joseph made his living as a carpenter and there’s every indication that he taught the young boy Jesus the basic elements of carpentry. The legend begins in Jesus’ youth when, following the instructions of Saint Joseph, Jesus constructed a small table for his mother.
One can only imagine how she must have smiled and hugged the young Jesus when he presented it to her. Naturally, it became an important and sentimental object of her affection. Therefore, one can only assume that when she went to live under the apostle John’s protection, she would taken this item with her.
St. Luke the Artist
Densous the Carthusian wrote that after the Resurrection and Ascension many people in Jerusalem wanted to meet and visit with the mother of Jesus. It was impossible for John’s small home to accommodate this great number of visitors. The people approached St. Luke, an accomplished artist, and requested that he paint her portrait so they could at least see a picture of her, St. Luke agreed to do the painting. While visiting the Blessed Mother, St. Luke noticed that little table that Jesus had made for her and observed that the fine texture of the tabletop would make an ideal canvas for the portrait he had been asked to paint.
Undoubtedly, she must have agreed, and we can only imagine the conversations between the Virgin Mary and Luke as he painted the picture. It was then she told him about the Annunciation, Jesus’ birth, and many of the details we know today. There are several historical references to this portrait painted by St. Luke. Sixtus of Siena testified that “St. Luke, after completing the life of Christ with brush and paints made a portrait of his Blessed Mother.” Later there was a Roman writer named Nafar who wrote, “The portrait of the Blessed Mother, St. Luke painted with his own hands while she was still alive. She saw the painting and impressed onto it the pleasing expression of her continents.”
Persecution of the Church
Not long after the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus, intense persecution of the Christians commenced. It is believed that this persecution was the motivating force for John to take Mary to Ephesus where she would be safe. They were not able to take everything to Ephesus, and it’s widely believed that the portrait of Mary made from the tabletop was left in the company of a religious community of virgins. During the siege of Jerusalem, that picture was hidden in underground catacombs near a town named Pella, where it remained out of sight for three centuries. Legend has it that this picture would later become the Our Lady of Czestochowa image.
Saint Helena
Now, around the year 326, Saint Helena, who was the mother of Constantine the Great, was converted to Christianity. She spent the greater part of the last years of her life searching out, finding, and protecting important relics pertaining to the life of Christ. She discovered the steps Jesus climbed to the quarters of Pontius Pilate after the scourging and had them shipped to Rome where they can be seen today across the street from St. John Lateran. With the guidance of The Holy Spirit and directions from the Order of Nuns who had guarded the icon, St. Helena located this picture. She took the painting back to the court of Constantine who had a magnificent church built in Constantinople and dedicated to the Holy Name of Mary. For a time this church would house this very sacred work of art. Almost as soon as the picture was displayed, those praying before the image started receiving special graces. Word of these special graces began attracting large numbers of people who came to pay homage to the Mother of God.
Saracen Invasion and Threats to the Image
Years after the church of The Holy Name of Mary was built, the Saracens attacked Constantinople. During this melee, the miraculous icon was carried throughout the city streets followed by many worshippers and believers. The sight of this devotion created great fear among the Saracens who left the city without a battle. During another attack, an arrow struck the holy icon in the throat and the scar from that arrow remains to this day. Some years later, another emperor wanted to destroy all religious items because he felt threatened by them. At this point, the miraculous image was hidden once again for a period of several hundred years in Constantine’s palace. Eventually, it was rediscovered and passed through the hands of various dignitaries and members of the royal household as something of untold value.
Poland
The painting was eventually moved from Constantinople to Russia where it was and again considered a revered gift of the highest value. In the year 1352 this area of Russia, which had a large Polish population, became the property of Poland but was not really a part of Poland itself. Great progress was made for the people, but the area was constantly being invaded. One of the men in power in this area of Poland was Ladislaus, a great defender of the painting. During a particularly intense battle. Ladislaus was inspired to fight even harder and miraculously won the battle. Believing the icon to be incredibly special, he wanted to protect it at all costs and decided it would be safer if he took it to his birthplace in Silesia.
En route to his home in Silesia, he stopped overnight in the village of Czestochowa, where the icon would spend the night in a chapel. In the morning. It was placed in a horse-drawn wagon, but something very strange happened. The horses refused to move, They were prodded repeatedly, but they remained motionless.
Icon in Czestochowa
It was then that Ladislaus prayed for guidance. He stayed a brief time and twice he dreamt that the portrait should remain in Czestochowa in a chapel on Jayna Gora or Bright Hill. He then took the Holy Icon into the Church of the Assumption because he felt that he was fulfilling the will of God. This was the 26th day of August in the year 1382 and now the legend had ended, and the historical records are preserved intact.
So convinced of divine providence, Ladislaus not only ordered but financed himself a church, a cloister, and a convent worthy of containing the holy and miraculous painting that would be one day known and loved as Our Lady of Czestochowa. Now there was a problem for Ladislaus. He would not be able to stand guard over the icon forever, and he knew that there had to be someone or some group who would be responsible.
So, he arranged for a group of Pauline fathers from Hungary to come to Czestochowa as permanent guardians of the painting. Why not some local order? Well, Ladislaw was personally acquainted with this order and considered them to be among the most pious and holy monks in Europe. And so, upon his personal request and those of his cousin who was a major benefactor of the order, a group from the Pauline order came to Czestochowa and now, about six centuries later, they are still guarding the treasure of Czestochowa.
A Work of Heavenly Art
It is certainly worthwhile to take a moment to examine or visualize this work of heavenly art. The painting is about nineteen inches high by about thirteen inches wide. The painted background shows small wooden boards about a half-inch thick. It’s possible that, as legend suggests, it these could be the top of the small table that Jesus had made for his mother.
There are several scars on the face of Our Blessed Mother in this painting. The first scar, as described earlier, was the scar on the throat made during the attack by the Saracens. The other two scars, on the cheek of Our Holy Mother, were made by one of two Hussite soldiers in the year 1430 in their attempt to destroy the picture. One of the soldiers intent on destroying the Holy Icon with his sword inflicted two gashes on Our Lady’s cheek. Legend has it that the first of these two soldiers raised his sword to strike and fell dead on the spot.
It is also interesting to note that the picture has been cleaned several times with special efforts to remove or repair the scars on the throat and cheek. None of these efforts has been successful. The scars remained exactly as they were, as though Madonna wanted to remind us how she has suffered not only through her son’s crucifixion but also by the unfaithfulness of mankind.
In this painting, the face of the Blessed Mother is very dark, almost black in color. One of the most prevalent explanations for the darkness of the image was the use of so many candles placed in front of the painting for several centuries. It’s entirely possible that the smoke from these candles would have darkened the image. Regardless of the reason for her skin tone, the darkness of the image helps to remind us that Mary is indeed the mother of all races and people.
Intercessor
The residents of Czestochowa strongly desired to be part of Poland but many of their requests fell on deaf ears. However, through their special devotion to Our Lady in 1921 that area did become, part of Poland itself. Devotion extends beyond the borders of Poland as this blessed image of Our Lady attracts more than two million pilgrims a year to Czestochowa. Blessed John Paul II had a strong personal devotion to the Mother of God and made at least three visits to Czestochowa during his pontificate.
Miracles
The reported miracles associated with Our Lady of Czestochowa would actually fill volumes. One particularly moving story involves a family named Pokersvenski who had a daughter named Zosia. Zosia spent quite a bit of time with the family housekeeper, a devout Catholic who often told Zosia stories of the Blessed Mothe, the saints, and the martyrs.
Zosia loved these stories and begged to know more about this faith that attracted her. The housekeeper was always willing to explain the faith in greater detail.
It wasn’t long before Zosia became a convert, which infuriated her parents, They tried to bribe her into returning to their beliefs and even threatened bodily harm, but Zosia would not budge. She had learned about the martyrs, and if it was necessary, was willing also to become a martyr. She was severely punished and even sent to solitary confinement, but she remained firm in her faith. She even tried to persuade her parents to become converts. Her parents were so infuriated that, in a family meeting, it was decided that she would be burned to death. Great chunks of wood were collected and piled together and, as Zosia was led to the pyre, she held her head upright and said, “O Lady of Czestochowa, be my protectress!” The fire was lit. As the flames rose high in the air and the sound of crackling wood echoed over the crowd that had gathered a thick smoke enveloped the burning embers.
The crowd waited for Zosia’s screams, but there was silence. Then, as the fire subsided and the smoke cleared, everyone present drew back in disbelief. In the center of the rubble, Zosia stood untouched by the flames and unhurt by the smoke. She had just one tiny burn on her cheek. Immediately she went to the chapel for Thanksgiving. Soon the crowd would learn that a second miracle had also occurred. Zosia had been born with a defect that gave her speech a strong lisp, but Our Lady had cured that too. Zosia’s speech was now perfect.
Like little Zosia, let us remember that she is our intercessor.
“O Lady of Czestochowa, be my protectress!”
