Virgin of Montserrat

Uncommon card · No. 185714

Our Lady of Montserrat or the Virgin of Montserrat (Catalan: Mare de Déu de Montserrat) is a Roman Catholic image of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with an enthroned statue of the Madonna and Child enshrined at the monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat in Catalonia, Spain. She is the patroness saint of Catalonia, an honour she shares with Saint George (Sant Jordi in Catalan). Miracles have been attributed to the statue. Pope Leo XIII granted the image a decree of canonical coronation in 11 September 1881. The image is one of the Black Madonnas of Europe, hence its native Catalan name, La Moreneta (English: the petite dark one). The Romanesque sculpture is crafted in wood from the late 12th century. An 18th-century similar statue is also displayed in Saint Peter's Basilica which was gifted by the former President of Brazil, João Goulart on the papal election of Pope Paul VI in 1963. The image has been on display for Papal Masses since the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Enrique López-Tamayo Biosca, CC BY 2.0