The Black Madonna of Montserrat appealed to St Ignatius in the 16th Century, but what is it about these powerful dark ‘Seat of Wisdom’ images of Mary that appeals to us in the 21st Century?
There are some several hundred Black Madonna figures dotted throughout Europe, all of them ancient and mysterious and very different from the Madonna figures represented on familiar Christmas cards.
In this retreat, a mix of silence and group conversations, we will prayerfully consider some of the histories and traditions associated with these striking “Seat of Wisdom” images of Mary. Although a special mention of the Black Madonna of Montserrat and its Ignatian claim to fame is called for, so too is how these medieval Marian figures can speak to 21st century men and women of new ways of conversing with Mary, of new ways of engaging with the power of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
