Poland: the Black Madonna of Czestochowa


‘Through all its restorations, the Virgin has retained the scars which, in the eyes of the Polish people, reflect the condition of their ravaged country.’                                                                                                                       (Marie-France Boyer in ‘The Cult of the Virgin’*)


The Virgin of the Jasna Gora monastery at Czestochowa is the most important shrine of Roman Catholic Poland. Annually, millions of people come visit the painting which is still today attributed to St. Luke.
The painting of the Virgin of Czestochowa was supposedly discovered by St Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, in Jerusalem and is attributed to St. Luke. It is said to be painted on three pieces of cypress wood. According to the legend, these were cut by Jesus.

Before the painting of the Virgin came to Poland, it was from the third to the eight century venerated in a church in Constantinople. Next, it was hidden from the Byzantine iconoclasts until it was presented to the Polish Prince Ladislaus Opolszyk in the fourteenth century. According to Marie-France Boyer (2000) this is now reckoned as the actual date of its execution.

The arrival of the image in Czestochowa

When the Polish royal palace was attacked by Tartars, the image of the Virgin was pierced in the neck by an arrow. After this, the Prince was determined to remove the picture to the safety of his birthplace. On his way there he stayed overnight in Czestochowa. The icon was left in little chapel. When the Prince tried to continue his journey the next day, the horses refused to move. The Prince took this as a sign that the Virgin had chosen to remain in Czestochowa. This was in 1382. The shrine church at Jasna Gora (‘Mountain of Light’) was built by Prince Jagiello after his marriage to Queen Jadwiga of Poland.

Queen of Poland

The Polish nation attributes its own existence to the Virgin of Czestochowa. After the Swedish besieged the town for six weeks in 1655 but were eventually defeated, the Virgin was acclaimed 'Queen of Poland'. Czestochowa became the main shrine of the country. In most Polish churches there is a reproduction of the icon of Czestochowa.
The Jasna Gora shrine
The basilica
When the Polish nation regained its independence in 1919, the Bolshevik Russian army immediately invaded the country. On September 14, 1920, the army stood outside Warsaw. According to the legend, on September 15th, the day of Our Lady of Sorrows, Mary appeared in the clouds above Warsaw. This day was seen as a turning point in the war. The Polish call this ‘the Miracle at the Vistula.’

World War II and after

During the Nazi occupation, Hitler prohibited the pilgrimages to the shrine at Czestochowa. However, people still came to the shrine secretly. The shrine chapel was seriously damaged during the war, but was later repaired. In 1945 half a million pilgrims came to express their gratitude for the liberation from Nazism. During the communist regime, the shrine remained unharmed, although the pilgrimages were once again prohibited. Since the end of communism, the Polish shrine has seen a huge growth of visitors. The image of the Black Madonna of the Jasna Gora monastery is venerated by both Catholics and Russian Orthodox.

The basilica

The first building of worship at Czestochowa was a small wooden church. The construction of the present day basilica and the defence walls that surround the Jasna Gora monastery were built between 1632 and 1648. The church is dedicated to the Holy Cross and the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. It received the title and privileges of a Minor Basilica in 1906. The building is 46 meters long, 21 meters wide and 29 meters high.

The gothic church dated from the early fifteenth century. However, in a fire in 1690, the vault collapsed and its rich internal decoration was burned. Today, the basilica which was rebuilt between 1692 and 1695 and restored in 1706 and 1728, has three aisles and is a fine example of Baroque art. The multicoloured vaults of the presbytery and the main aisle are the work of Karl Dankwart (1695) and feature respectively the history of the Holy Cross and the miracles attributed to the mediation of the Black Madonna of Jasna Gora. The main altar is in Baroque style and depicts the Assumption of the Virgin.


*Marie-France Boyer (2000) "The Cult of the Virgin: Offerings, Ornaments and Festivals" Thames & Hudson; ISBN: 0500019886

Visit the official website of the Jasna Gora shrine here

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