Naples
La Bruna, La Madonna Bruna, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Patronness of the Carmelites
In the 13th century basilica Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore, Piazza del Carmine2, 80142 Napoli, 12th century, 100x80cm wooden icon
This lovely and very old Madonna is the original ‘Virgin of Tenderness’, a type of icon called Eleusa (Greek: tenderness). She is one of the numerous Black Madonnas believed to have been painted by Saint Luke the evangelist. The star with a tail on her shoulder is a symbol for her virginity, before, during and after the birth of Christ.
Mother and Child with their crowns and angels
Tradition says that the Brown Lady came from Mount Carmel, a 24 mile long, low mountain range on the Meditarian coast of Israel where the prophet Elijah is said to have lived for a while. Carmelites believe that a community of Jewish and later Christian hermits lived at the site from the time of Elijah in an uninterrupted succession. The Christian hermits formally became Carmelites in the early 13th century. By mid century they began to flee from persecutions by the Muslim invadors of the Holy Land. Gathering their most prized posessions, especially the icon of the Virgin of Tenderness, they settled on the outskirts of Naples. Over time, the icon became so well loved by the people that a bigger church was needed to house it. At the same time, the German king of Naples was overthrown and beheaded by a French king. The grieving mother of the former king was allowed to build a magnificent church for the repose of the souls and the bodies of her son and his companions. Until 1500 C.E. the Madonna Bruna was kept in the crypt, often the place for Black Madonnas in their function as guide through the underworld (Our Lady of Good Death).
Then she was taken in procession to Rome and displayed at Saint Peter’s Basilica for three days. So many miracles occurred in the course of the pilgrimage and in Rome that big crowds flocked to her. The Pope feared for the primacy of St. Peter (of whom he is the successor). The Black Madonna was stealing his show, so he sent her home!
Upon her return, the ruler of Naples, King Frederic II of Aragon, showed the Pope how to do it right. Maybe to prove that he wasn’t afraid of the Mother of God or maybe to test her, he ordered all the sick, the lame, the blind, the crippled, anyone in his kingdom with any kind of malady, to come to the church on June 24th to implore a cure from heaven. He instructed that they were all to assemble having had examinations and with written documentation as proof of their sickness or disability. On the appointed day a holy mass was celebrated in the presence of the king, his nobles and all the people. During the consecration, a ray of vivid light was seen to rest on the face of the Madonna, reflecting its light to each of the infirm. In that instant, they were all cured of their maladies. This miracle was authenticated by many witnesses. From then on, it seems, La Bruna remained in the upper church, behind the main altar.¹
She was crowned by decree of the Vatican Council on July 11th 1875. Her feast day is July 16th.
Sources:
1. James Fitzhenry tells this story on: https://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/our-lady-of-naples.html