the black madonna of czestochowa is the most venerated icon in poland, and possibly in the world. it is housed in the jasna gora monastery in the small city of czestochowa a few hours north of krakow, and poles have made the pilgrimage to see it for centuries, often on foot from all corners of the country. it is actually one of multiple black madonnas, which are icons of mary and the Christ child from the byzantine era. reportedly this one was discovered in jerusalem in the 300s, before being brought to poland in the 1300s. it became intertwined with polish national identity when it was believed to have miraculously saved czestochowa from a swedish siege in the 1600s, and ever since has also been known as the “protector of poland.”
it is housed at the front of a large church, and visitors and pilgrims come to to venerate it almost nonstop. it is kept covered, except for a brief unveiling which occurs twice daily. i was able to time my visit to correspond with this, and it was fascinating. there is a tremendous build up for about 15 minutes, with increasing crowds pushing in toward the front of the church. before the time of the unveiling the crowd becomes quiet, all cross themselves, and a trumpet sound is played, as the veil over the icon is very slowly lifted. many witnesses cry, and most of the room drops to its knees. visitors can line up and file beside and then behind the icon, and many do this entirely on their knees. some even make the journey from other towns in poland entirely on their knees. it was truly remarkable (and admittedly very unexpected for me as a christian) to witness this level of veneration for an icon.
