Black Madonna Our Lady of Czestochowa -- Polish Icon HD Wallpaper
Free download • 1024×1536 • 3.5 MB
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About this image
The Black Madonna of Czestochowa -- Matka Boska Czestochowska -- is the most venerated religious image in Poland and one of the most famous Marian icons in the world. This HD wallpaper renders her in the tradition of the iconic original, held at the Jasna Gora monastery in Czestochowa since 1382: the dark-complexioned Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, both figures wearing ornate golden crowns and jeweled robes of extraordinary richness. Two distinctive scars mark the right cheek of the Madonna, the result of a sword attack by Hussite raiders in 1430 -- the repairs to the painting were deliberately left slightly visible rather than disguised, and these scars have become inseparable from the icon's identity and power. The golden halos of both mother and child radiate against the rich gold leaf background in the Byzantine tradition. The Black Madonna is not merely a religious image but a national symbol. She has been called the "Queen of Poland" since the 17th century, when King John II Casimir consecrated Poland to her protection following the miraculous victory over Swedish invaders in 1655 -- an event called the Deluge. During the Nazi occupation of Poland in World War II, possession of her image was forbidden by the Nazis. Pope John Paul II, himself Polish, made repeated pilgrimages to Czestochowa and credited Our Lady of Czestochowa with protecting Poland through centuries of invasion and partition. Today Jasna Gora receives 4-5 million pilgrims annually, with the largest gatherings on her feast days. Free HD download.
