Schwarze Mutter Gottes
Schwarze Mutter Gottes
Q: What do you know about the Black Madonna (Schwarze Mutter Gottes) at the Church of St. Maria in der Kupfergasse, Cologne, Germany?
A: The veneration of this 'Black Madonna' started in 1675 in a replica of the pilgrimage chapel of Loreto, which was dedicated in the same year. According to legend, God Himself called this location a place of delight. In 1716 a larger church was erected above the chapel. On the occasion of its 250th anniversary in 1925 Cardinal Archbishop Karl Joseph solemnly crowned the image. Church and chapel were destroyed in 1942 and were rebuilt in the 1960s.
The altar of the church is made of oak wood and was created by Johann Franz von Helmont. The miraculous image consists of dark basswood.
Another legend relates that the image would darken whenever the people who implored Our Lady experienced much suffering.
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