Queen Virgin Mary & King Child Jesus of the Holy Family

1. In Study of Mariology & Roman Catholicism:
THE BLACK MOTHER OF GOD OF BENRATH
(Our Lady of Light)
“The Black Mother of God of Benrath” (in German: (Gnadenbild der Schwarzen
Muttergottes von Benrath) is the Marian title of the (Black Madonna) Blessed Virgin
Mary (with the Child Jesus).
The “Black Madonna” Marian shrine in the (Roman Catholic) Church of St. Cäcilia is
located in Benrath, the southern district of the city of Düsseldorf (Germany, Europe),
and has been venerated for by the (Marian) German (Roman) Catholics for centuries.
The story of the “Black Mother of God of Benrath” begins with Count Philip Wilhelm
(1653-1690) and his second wife Elisabeth Amalia Magdalene; when he had seen the
“Black Madonna of Einsiedeln” near Zurich (Switzerland).
Both world royals had a great devotion to Mother Mary, then, in 1677, they heard that
the local people had witnessed a Marian apparition of the “Queen of Heaven”, and
inexplicable singing in the forest belonging to the Count’s castle (called Schwarzer Weg,
or “The Black Path”).
When they went to see for themselves what was going on, lo and behold the Countess
repeatedly heard a heavenly voice telling her: “Mary in her shining light wants to be
venerated here”.
So the couple decided to commission a copy of the “Black Madonna of Einsiedeln” (of
Switzerland), and her Black Madonna Marian chapel was erected on the spot of the
Marian apparition.
Immediately, pilgrims and offerings were made to the Black Madonna poured in from all
sides, while for 2 centuries yearly Marian processions from the Lambertus (Catholic)
Church in Düsseldorf to the Marian chapel of the miracle working “Black Madonna” in
Benrath were held on July 2nd.
That date used to be the “Feast day of the Visitation of Mary” (later moved to May 31)
and is now the “Feast day of Our Lady of Light”, while the beautiful candle light Marian
processions are held on the 2nd Sunday in October, when “Our Lady” is carried around
the park of the old Count’s castle.
During the French occupation by Napoleon’s revolutionary troops of the Rheinland (after
1794), many churches were secularized or destroyed.
The so called “Black Chapel” in Benrath was changed into a pub for military soldiers
and then it was torn down.

2. But the sacred “Black Madonna” image of grace was hidden by the German monks who
were in charge of the site, and thus saved.
After the occupation, in 1806, the “Black Madonna” was brought out of hiding and
placed in the nearest Catholic parish church.
In 1959, during construction work, the foundation of the old “Black Chapel” was found at
the “Black Path” (Schwarzer Weg), then it was moved to the Marian chapel of the “Black
Madonna” in St. Cäcilia.
It is interesting to note the art that decorates the protective glass surrounding the
Madonna (installed after a fire bombing in 1974), includes stalks of wheat all over, a
basket of bread rolls that look like eggs on the bottom left, a bee hive on the bottom
right with a few small bees, a big bee on the top left and a dove on the top right.
Pastor Vollmer, the Catholic parish priest in 2011, acknowledged that wheat and bread
is a symbol of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, and also in union with Jesus’ Mother Mary,
as also a symbol of fertility, a prayer for good harvests, and a healthy earth as well as
plenty of healthy children.
The bee symbolizes sovereignty, such as the queen bee, served by a chosen people
with the purpose to feed the chosen monarch, while the “Black Madonna” has been
given a special connection to many German monarchies & royal families.
(researched)