The first time I saw a Black Madonna medal, my reaction was ‘Our Lady of ….what?’ The names and locations of many of the Black Madonna representations are not familiar to us; however, they represent a unique and intensely spiritual time in the life of the Catholic Church.

Often when we think of Catholic medals, we think of medals showing a saint, Blessed Mary or a crucifix. However some medals also show historical events. Below are four medals in the Rosa Mystica Medals collection which are saint medals but also a lesson in history.