La Moreneta, Lluc Monastery, Escora, Mallorca, Spain
Posted by: 
arby101ca
N 39° 49.347 W 002° 53.060
30S E 509899 N 4408057
In a chapel at the Lluc Monastery in the mountains of Mallorca is a statue of a Black Madonna, "La Moreneta", the dark One. This dates back to the 13th century and is the raison d'etre for the monastery
Waymark Code: WMEYMQ
Location: Islas Baleares, Spain
Date Posted: 07/23/2012
Views: 3
This small statue is quite important to the religious history and culture of Mallorca. La Moreneta is the "Mother of God of Lluc" (Catalan: Mare de Deú de Lluc), Patroness and Queen of the Island. The legend starts with the Reconquesta when King Jaume I and Catalans displaced the Moslems from Mallorca. A Moorish shepherd boy named Lluc is said to have found the statue partially buried high in the hills. He took it to the Christian priest who placed it in his church. The statue disappeared and was found back where it was originally found. Taking this as a miracle they built a church and founded a monastery at the site. The first visits were recorded in 1260. The monastery grew and prospered as the fame of the statue attracted pilgrims. More miracles followed and the tradition continues to this day.
The statue is a typical Black Madonna, mother and child, 61 cm high. The halo is embossed NIGRE SUO SED FORMOSA, I am black but beautiful, a quotation fron the Song of Soloman, a remarkable erotic love song for the bible. Sometimes the quote continues adding FILIAE JERUSALEM, daughters of Jerusalem ,as on a couple of sundials painted by Giovanni Francisco Zarbula in the French and Italian Alpes in the 19th century. See WM7Q03 and WM7PTG.
There are skeptics as over 450 Black Madonnas with similar stories have been found across Europe. The Virgin of Candelaria in Tenerife Canary Islands has a similar story and cult following. I have seen the Black Madonna at Rocamadour in the Lot region of France. With so many similar legends explaining these statues doubts have arisen, even at the Lluc Monastery. There is no mention of this famous artifact on the official website www.lluc.net or the Wikipedia entry.
The statue is accessible in a side chapel so tourists can visit the statue without disturbing services in the basilica. The GPS location is for the entrance as the gps did not work in the church. We hiked to the site over the Serra de Tramuntana for Soller. The monastery now provides accommodation and meals for visitors including hiking groups.
The similar statue in the church at Les Saintes Maries de la Mere in the Camargue region of France is different. This statue, important to gypsy culture in France and Europe, is Sara, the Egyptian servant for the three Maries, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James
Associated Religion(s): Roman Catholic
Statue Location: Lluc Manastery, Mallorca
Entrance Fee: by donation
Artist: Miraculous
Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the statue. A waymarker and/or GPSr is not required to be in the image but it doesn't hurt.
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