Matka Boska Double Sided Religious Medal "EXCLUSIVE"

The Black Madonna of Czstochowa (Czarna Madonna or Matka Boska Czstochowska in Polish, Imago thaumaturga Beatae Virginis Mariae Immaculatae Conceptae, in Claro Monte in Latin, in Church Slavonic) is a holy icon of the Virgin Mary, that is both Poland's holiest relic, and one of the country's national symbols. The origins of the icon and the date of its composition is still a hotly contested topic between scholars. This difficulty in dating the icon stems from the fact that the original image was painted over after being badly damaged by Hussite raiders in 1430. Medieval restorers unfamiliar with the encaustic method found that the paints they applied to the damaged areas "simply sloughed off the image" according to the medieval chronicler Risinius, and their solution was to erase the original image and to repaint it on the original canvas, which was believed to be holy because of its legendary origins as a table top from the home of the Holy Family. The painting displays a traditional composition well-known in the icons of Eastern Orthodoxy. The Virgin Mary is shown as the "Hodegetria" ("One Who Shows the Way"). In it the Virgin directs attention away from herself, gesturing with her right hand toward Jesus as the source of salvation. In turn, the child extends his right hand toward the viewer in blessing while holding a book of gospels in his left hand. The icon shows the Madonna in fleur de lys robes.