The Mysterious Black Madonnas of Europe (I)

What Is The Black Madonna and why are there so many depictions of her In Europe?

In most Christian churches across the West, the Virgin Mary is portrayed with light skin, much like her son Jesus Christ. But an estimated 400 to 500 versions of the Madonna portray her with dark skin — and, surprisingly, many of these “Black Madonnas” are found across Europe.

These depictions often include both a dark-skinned Virgin Mary and a dark-skinned baby Jesus, and they can be found in various churches, museums, and shrines. Most of these artworks seem to date back to the medieval era, but their exact origin stories are often shrouded in mystery.

Some theories suggest that Christian artists simply repurposed old pagan artworks that depicted pre-Christian deities and spiritual figures, who happened to have dark skin. Others claim that Christian artists used certain materials in their pieces that just happened to darken over time.

And yet other researchers argue that the dark skin of the Black Madonna was a conscious — yet symbolic — choice linked to Biblical references and cultural associations with fertility, motherhood, and the Earth.

In the cases where the dark hue was intentional, most of these artworks from Europe were likely meant to be metaphorical representations instead of a literal interpretation of the Virgin Mary’s appearance.

However, it’s also worth noting that in recent years, some African and Black American artists have included more explicit African features in their depictions of Mary, highlighting her universal importance to Christians all over the world. Black Madonnas have also emerged in South America and Asia, further emphasizing the widespread influence of these artworks.

It's difficult to say exactly how many Black Madonnas there are in the world, but it's been estimated that there are roughly 400 to 500 — most of which are located in Europe. These illustrations and statues usually show both the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus with varying shades of dark skin.

Author Christena Cleveland, who has studied these artworks extensively, notes, "Only a small percentage of the 450 Black Madonnas in the world look explicitly Black or have what we would call African features. Many of them have black skin combined with more Eurocentric features."

They are often found in mediums like paintings and wooden sculptures, appearing in standing and sitting positions. They have been viewed — and revered — in numerous museums, churches, and shrines around the world. However, the origins of their dark hue are very much debated.

One theory is that artists used dark materials — like certain types of wood — to create the art pieces, perhaps to represent the ancient history of the Holy Land. Or, they could have used materials that gradually darkened.

Another theory is that these art pieces emerged due to pre-Christian artistic traditions, since some pagan sculptures showcased deities with dark skin. It's possible that with the rise of Christianity, artists simply replaced existing pagan subjects with the Virgin Mary and her son, perhaps by superimposing representations of mother and son on top of existing statues.

However, some researchers speculate that there may be a different intent behind the Black Madonna. Some think that the dark skin may have been a conscious choice, in light of Biblical passages like Song of Songs 1:5:

"Dark am I, yet lovely, daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon".

Furthermore, in certain pre-Christian groups, dark skin was also associated with fertility and motherhood, since darker hues were closer to the shade of the Earth's soil. This may have influenced later Christian artists who wanted to emphasize the Virgin Mary's legacy as the devoted mother of Jesus.

"The best fertile soil is black in color and the blacker it is, the more suited it is for agriculture," the University of Dayton explained.

Amber Morgan, February 10, 2025

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