Our Lady of Einsiedeln

Prague was my staging point from which I traveled to see the Black Madonna Shrine visit in Einsiedeln. This historic Swiss hamlet is in the mountains near Zurich.  From Zurich, I took a special train to Einsiedeln, home of the famous Black Madonna of the Germanic peoples. Through out Switzerland, Germany and Austria she is a devoted symbol of the Divine, but the Black Madonna of Einsiedeln is not as well known internationally as the other Black Madonnas I had visited. I had seen pictures, but had no orientation of her other than my first studies in 2005. Again, I had to take a special funicular up the mountains to reach my destination. There are no cars allowed in Einsiedeln, and it seems that all that goes on in the town, are events and tourism in the church where the Black Madonna resides. She is called Our Lady of the Hermitage in Einsiedeln. When I exited the funicular, I felt like I was in a picture perfect Swiss village. It was an easy walk to the pensione.  

The next day, I walked about the picturesque town, went to the visitors information center, then on to the shrine. It is a magnificent Baroque Cathedral that features numerous frescos and period statues. The main sanctuary was light, white, pink and airy compared to the Gothic Cathedrals in other parts of the world. The tourist bureau representative told me not to miss the 4:30 pm rendition of Salvae Regina at the shrine. I dutifully went to the Black Madonna Lady Chapel in the nave of the Church at the appointed time and watched a choir of black robed priests file into the small structure. There is only room for about 20 people in the marble chapel housing Our Lady of Einsiedeln. Pilgrims are ushered out before the rendition so as to make room for the monks. The black robed brothers sang their hearts out to the small statue. In the following days, each time I went to hear this performance, the monks sang with equal enthusiasm at every service. It never seemed wrote to them. I was touched by their devotion to this image of the Black Madonna.

After enjoying the music, I wandered off to one of the many hiking trails around the shrine. What I found particularly interesting was that we were close to the place where the famous Renaissance alchemist and chemist Paracelsus was born. I expected Heidi from the stories of my childhood to frolic onto the path along the lush, mountain walkways. The farms and gardens were being prepared for the winter; the soil in the overturned gardens was almost black. I was literally at the top of this tier of Alps, and the view was spectacular as I was seeing a large valley with numerous lakes below. Such natural beauty, it fills the soul. No wonder the shrines are placed in such environments.

The legends that surround the Einsiedeln Shrine involve the ninth century St. Meinrad. The Abbess Hildegard of Zurich gave him a miracle-working statue of Mary. We do not know where the original statue came from other than from the Abbess. This statue apparently became black due to the exposure of candle smoke. St. Meinrad was known for his kindness and good works, and for some unknown reason, thieves murdered him. He actually had a premonition of how he would die. After his death, the statue was then placed in a chapel where it started to draw pilgrims. Scholars say that the statue on display now in the Lady Chapel in the nave of the Cathedral was probably carved in the fifteenth century. It was restored in the eighteenth century after the monks hid her from the invading Napoleonic soldiers. When the statue was restored and cleaned, the locals demanded that she be returned to her black color. The blackened Madonna had become precious to her devotees, and the restoration artists acquiesced. Now we see a very Black Madonna adorned with an elaborate dress, nestled in a floating cloud of gold. 

The main miracle associated with this Black Madonna is that when the original church was to be consecrated by the local bishop, apparently Christ himself appeared to consecrate the building before the bishop had arrived. Those who witnessed it saw Christ descend in the clouds filling the church with light. When the bishop came to consecrate the church, he heard a voice that told him the sacred deed had already been done. 

Adorning the walls of the shrine there are many pictures of the Black Madonna revealing herself to numerous people, always with golden clouds surrounding her. There is a magnificent gilt statue in front of the Shrine, of a Madonna standing on a crescent moon, with stars as her crown.  In the Baroque Cathedral of the shrine, the most precious jewel of the whole collection of art in the interior is still the Gnadenkapelle, the chapel where the little wooden statue of the Black Madonna, Our Lady of Einsiedeln, is venerated. This is where the monks sing Salve Regina daily. The Basilica was consecrated on May 3, 1735. The monastery was completed in 1770.

Einsiedeln is on The Camino de Santiago de Compostela. In Switzerland this route is called Jakobsweg or Via Jacobi. Starting in the ninth and tenth centuries, pilgrims coming from northern and Eastern Europe would cross into Switzerland at Lake Constance and journey through the spectacular Swiss countryside. Einsiedeln Abbey was one of the three traditional pilgrimage places on the Swiss leg of Jacobsweg. In the Middle Ages, the custom quickly grew of making the shrine of Einsiedeln the starting-point for pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Pilgrims would then return to the shrine afterwards to thank the Blessed Virgin for the graces and protection obtained during the journey. It’s fame was well documented at the time, receiving Papal recognition proclaimed in a letter by Pope Leo VIII in the year 948. Pope Leo’s letter states, “Our Lord Jesus Christ has raised up and consecrated a throne of grace for His Blessed Mother in the monastery in the forest. In this way Our Lord has given us to understand His desire to honor that corner of the world with the same dignity as the Holy Places in which He dwelt with his Blessed Mother. He has given us to understand, accordingly, that a pilgrimage to the Shrine in that dark forest is of the same value as the pilgrimages that are made to the Holy Land. In His Name I announce today a plenary indulgence for all debts due for the sins of pilgrims.”

Today, pilgrims can walk this leg of the Camino that leads them to the wondrous sights of the Alps. Since this aspect of the Camino is in Switzerland, the signs and mileages are well posted throughout the route with shelters along the way.  As I said before, what I found interesting was that this area of the world boasted the birthplace of the famed Renaissance Alchemist Paracelsus. Unfortunately all that one can see when you go to the supposed birth site is a patch of land. As I had been practicing Homeopathy for years, it was a bit of a vocational pilgrim discovery of my own in addition to the Black Madonna. Currently, The Einsiedeln Abby shrine boasts an annual pilgrimage census of over 200, 000 devotees.

It was truly a delightful stay, and the hiking around the shrine through the Alps seemed to add to the magic of the experience.