There are variousr easons why Mary would be represented this way:
- Authenticity: Some say that Crusaders, in their travels, saw images of Mary as a darker-skinned Mideastern woman, and introduced the Black Madonna upon their return to Europe.
- Symbolic: Anything placed close to the sun turns dark. Christ is the Light of the Word. So, Mary, because of her closeness to him, has dark skin.
- Mary, Mother to all: "Black Madonna" often refers to dark-skinned art works depicted by African or African-American artists. This is done fo rthe same reason that people in the Far East depict her with thei features - or, for that matter, why this Jewish woman is decpited with European or American features. She is a Mother to all.
One of the most famous specitions ofthe black Madonna is Our Lady of Czestochowa in Poland. Tradition suggests that St. Luke (who was said to be an artist) painted the original picture of the Blessed Mother and Child, which was brought to Poland in 1382.
- Little Blue Book, Diocese of Saginaw