大象传媒

Author and broadcaster Chine McDonald has never seen a black representation of the Virgin Mary. She travels to France searching for the origins of these images and their global significance for herself and for other black women.

Black Madonnas are statues or paintings of the Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus, where both figures are depicted with dark skin. They can be found both in Catholic and Orthodox countries.

There are thought to be at least 450 of them in the world. The majority are in Europe, and there are more Vierges Noires documented in France than any other country in the world. Most of the icons are more than 1,000 years old and many of them are connected with stories of miracles.

Chine visits the Queen of Peace in the convent church of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Paris, accompanied by expert guide Dr Christena Cleveland. And she travels to Orleans to see the Black Madonna statue: Our Lady of Miracles in the Chapel Notre Dame des Miracles.

She also visits the Wellcome Collection in London to talk with curator Janice Li about their Black Madonna painting of Our Virgin of Guadalupe. And cultural historian, broadcaster and University of Oxford based author Prof Janina Ramirez explains current thinking about the origins and cultural significance of the Black Madonna.

Producer: Rosie Boulton
A Must Try Softer production for 大象传媒 World Service

(Photo: Presenter Chine McDonald visiting a Black Madonna statue in Orleans France. Credit: Rosie Boulton)