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Salzburg

The Loretokirche, Paris-Lodron-Straße 6, 5020 Salzburg houses chapels to all 3 of the most famous Black Madonnas revered in Austria: the Dark Mothers of Einsiedeln, Altötting, and Loreto.

Vienna Paulaner Church

A 17th century “copy” of Our Lady of Loreto in the Paulaner Church, in the Paulanergasse 6, 1040 Vienna, brought from Loreto, Italy.
The House of Habsburg, which held the throne of the Holy Roman Empire from 1438 – 1740 and ruled Austria till 1918, spread the Loreto cult all over its empire. This was part of the efforts to stem the tide of Protestantism with a Counter-reformation. Loreto, with its Holy House of Mary, where the annunciation of Christ’s birth is said to have taken place, became a central piece of the Counter-reformation. 

The Marian litany of Loreto and more or less exact copies of the Holy House with its Black Madonna spread all over Europe. The German Wikipedia article on “ Loretokapelle” lists 16 Loreto chapels in Austria, 40 in Germany, etc. There used to be many more in Austria, but as times changed, quite a few of the Black Madonna chapels were transformed into different kinds of chapels.

Vienna

Copy of the Black Madonna of Loreto. In the emperor’s crypt in the Augustiner Church in the royal palace, Augustinerstraße 3, 1010 Vienna. The original Loreto chapel was built in 1627. Present version from 1784.

The House of Habsburg, which held the throne of the Holy Roman Empire from 1438 – 1740 and ruled Austria till 1918, spread the Loreto cult all over its empire. This was part of the efforts to stem the tide of Protestantism with a Counter-reformation. Loreto, with its Holy House of Mary, where the annunciation of Christ’s birth is said to have taken place, became a central piece of the Counter-reformation. 

The Marian litany of Loreto and more or less exact copies of the Holy House with its Black Madonna spread all over Europe. The German Wikipedia article on “Loretokapelle” lists 16 Loreto chapels in Austria, 40 in Germany, etc. There used to be many more in Austria, but as times changed, quite a few of the Black Madonna chapels were transformed into different kinds of chapels.

Pfarrkirchen im Mühlkreis

A copy of the Black Madonna of Loreto in the village church, Upper Austria, chapel built in 1694.
The House of Habsburg, which held the throne of the Holy Roman Empire from 1438 – 1740 and ruled Austria till 1918, spread the Loreto cult all over its empire. This was part of the efforts to stem the tide of Protestantism with a Counter-reformation. Loreto, with its Holy House of Mary, where the annunciation of Christ’s birth is said to have taken place, became a central piece of the Counter-reformation. 

The Marian litany of Loreto and more or less exact copies of the Holy House with its Black Madonna spread all over Europe. The German Wikipedia article on “ Loretokapelle” lists 16 Loreto chapels in Austria, 40 in Germany, etc. There used to be many more in Austria, but as times changed, quite a few of the Black Madonna chapels were transformed into different kinds of chapels.

Kötschach

Black Madonna, Our Dear Lady in Kötschach

(schwarze Madonna, Unsere Liebe Frau in Kötschach)

In the parish church Our dear Lady in Kötschach, also known as the "Gailtaler Cathedral", in Kärnten.
Our Dear Lady of Kötschach seems to be the only original Black Madonna in Austria. All the others are copies of the Black Madonnas the Austrians hold most dear: 16 are copies of the Madonna of Loreto, Italy, at least 3 are copies of Our Lady of Einsiedeln, Switzerland, one is a copy of the Black Madonna of Altötting, Germany, and one of Chenstochowa, Poland (the Black Madonna of Unterfrauenhaid).
The church of Our Dear Lady of Kötschach was erected as a Marian pilgrimage site in 1399. 

It was damaged during the Turkish invasion in 1478 but repaired and rededicated in 1485, then expanded in 1518 – 1527.*1 The resulting church is of such rare beauty that it is called a Dom, i.e. cathedral, even though it is not the seat of a bishop. The Black Madonna is referred to as the central “image of grace” (Gnadenbild) that makes this shrine a place of pilgrimage. In the course of the 18th century alone, more than 100 miraculous cures were attributed to pilgrimages to this Dark Mother.*2 Nonetheless I am unable to find any information about her.

In front of the church is an ancient linden tree that was declared a natural monument. For more on Black Madonnas and linden trees see “Altötting” in this index.

USA, Los Angeles

A copy of Our Lady of Loreto in Italy. Our Lady of Loretto Catholic Church in Los Angeles is located in Historic Filipinotown, at 250 N. Union Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026. Phone: 213.483.3013 website: http://ourladyoflorettochurch.org/

I don’t often include copies in this index, but when you are this far from an original Black Madonna it may be nice to at least visit a copy.

Naga City

Our Lady of Peñafrancia

Balatas Rd, Naga, 4400 Camarines Sur
For the story of the original in Spain, click here.
For a photo of the original Philippine statue before the theft and restoration, click here 
For the full story of her life in the Philippines, click here and scroll down to "In Naga, the Philippines"

Arpino

Madonna of Loreto (copy)

At the Benedictine convent Sant’ Andrea most of the year and in the church San Michele Arcangelo on the town plaza from the 3rd Sunday of November till the second Sunday of January.
I don't often include copies of famous Black Madonnas in my index, but this one has such a distinct character and Emilio Giovannone's photos are so good that I couldn't resist.

A copy of the Madonna of Loreto has been venerated in Arpino since the 17th century. Procession to the church of the archangel St. Michael every 3rd Sunday of November. She stays there for her feast day on December 10th and returns to the nunnery on the second Sunday of January. 

The nuns guard her jealously, because she was given to the convent as the dowry for one of the nuns by her father, at his daughter’s request. The Black Madonna was sculpted in Loreto. The base on which she is carried in procession was ordered by the abbess from sculptor Michele Stolz.

During her festival, the mayor deposits the keys to the city at the foot of the Madonna, as a way of honoring her as the patron saint of the city. Usually a large group of air men pay their respects as well, because, since the Holy House of Loreto is said to have flown on angels’ wings from the Holy Land to Italy, the Black Madonna of Loreto is the patron saint of the Air Force and pilots in general.

http://www.diocesisora.it/pdigitale/madonna-di-loreto-arpino/

Argentina, Los Toldos

In the Benedictine monastery Santa Maria de los Toldos, Ruta 65, Los Toldos, province Buenos Aires.

Virgin Mary of Einsiedeln
(Virgen Maria de Einsiedeln)

          
            In 1948, twelve Benedictine monks came from Einsiedeln, Switzerland to the Pampa of Buenos Aires, the rural area of the district, to found a new monastic community. They brought with them an exact copy of the famous Black Madonna of Einsiedeln. 

 It was carved by Brother Simon Welti and painted by Father Bernardo for the people of Argentina. Interesting “coincident” that just at that time surviving Jews, Nazis, and other Germans were coming to Argentina from a totally destroyed Germany. Among them the Black Madonna, whose many faces includes that of reconciler between races*, came to take up her new “throne of mercy”.
            The Virgin of Einsiedeln was well received. Each year more pilgrims come to pay her homage and to spend a few days in retreat. The liturgy of the monastery copies the one of its Motherhouse in Switzerland with its famous 11th century rendition of the Salve Regina, which is sung at the end of evening prayers.

* For more on this subject see the introduction: "The Mysterious Black Faces of the Madonna" and click on the sub heading "Racial explanations".

Moiano

Madonna Della Libera (Our Lady of Freedom)

In her church Santa Maria della Libera, life size, 16th century incarnation of an older statue.
For two or three hundred years starting during the 9th or 10th centuries, many pilgrims visited the shrine of the Virgin Mary in Moiano, and there were miracles and cures. Then the sanctuary fell into ruin, perhaps due to the plague, but the memory of a miracle working Black Madonna remained until the church and statue could be rebuilt in the 16th century.

The church speculates that her title goes back to the 16th century. Around 1571 the Turks had invaded Italy and would not let the populace practice Catholicism. In Moiano victory over the Turks was attributed to the many individuals who had prayed to Our Lady of Moiano. Probably for this reason she was henceforth called Santa Maria Della Libera (Our Lady of Liberty.)
St. Padre Pio had a great devotion to this Lady.

Piat

Our Lady of Piat,
Mother of Cagayan (province)
Mother of Us All,
Venerable Matriarch,
Black Virgin Mary

In her basilica, St. Dominic Parish, Cagayan Apayao Road, Piat.
For the full story of this Black Madonna go to the Wikipedia article on Our Lady of Piat

Manila

Our Lady of Guidance (Nuestra Señora de Guia)

Antonio Flores Street, in Ermita district of Manila. For the full history & more photos of this officially Black Madonna go to beautiful Pintakasi website of James Ben Malabanan.

Budapest

In St.Matthias Catholic Church, Szentháromság tér 2., in Buda Castle. You can't miss it. Photo from TripAdvisor
Opening hours: Mon  - Fri: 09:00-17:00, Sat: 09:00 – 13:00, Sun: 13:00 – 17:00
The first church built on this site was Church of Our Lady (Nagyboldogasszony templom), founded in 1038 by St. Stephen, first king of Hungary. He "declared Virgin Queen & Patroness of Hungary, first monarch so to dedicate his country."(*1) 

That church was destroyed by Mongols in 1241. St. Matthias' church was founded by King Béla IV after Mongol invaders left Hungary in 1242.

The Black Madonna is a copy of Loreto Madonna. In 1541 Turks occupied Buda & turned the Church of Our Lady into a mosque.

The faithful credit the Black Madonna with miraculous recapture of Budapest by united Christian army in 1686. According to legend, when Turks put Buda castle under siege, people walled in statue inside its niche so invaders wouldn’t find it. 

During the recapture in 1686 an explosion demolished walls around  statue revealing Virgin’s shining face. The Turks took this as a bad omen & gave up this part of castle without a fight.(*2)
Not much remained of original building due to numerous expansions, wars & reconstructions.

*1: Ean Begg, The Cult of the Black Virgin, Arkana Books, 1985, p. 240

*2: https://www.budapestbylocals.com/matthias-church.html

Orcival

Notre-Dame-d'Orcival,
Notre-Dame-de-la-Delivrande (Our Lady of Deliverance)
Notre-Dame-des-Fers (Our Lady of the Irons, i.e. the chains she liberated prisoners from)

12th century copy of older original, wood covered in silver, except for face and hands. Church closed for lunch 12:30-2:00 p.m.
Orcival is one of oldest and most famous Marian shrines in the Auvergne. People have been going there on pilgrimage since before the 10th century. It has a miraculous spring & everything a Black Madonna calls for, except that she was restored to her original pale colors in 1960.
One legend attributes her to St. Luke. Another tells of the master builder, who was given the task of building a church for the town. In order to determine the proper place for the church, he randomly threw his hammer and where it landed the Madonna was found. 

The first church was built in the 11th century, but soon became too small to welcome the crowds of pilgrims coming for miraculous cures. So the current basilica was erected in 1146 to 1178. The Black Madonna returned to her place of apparition three times, but eventually she had to content herself with a compromise. The ruins of the original church were called "Tomb of the Virgin". 

A monument was built there and every year since the 12th century, on August 15th, the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin into heaven, Our Lady is carried in a great candle light procession by barefoot men to her "tomb” and then brought back to the village.
Until 1885, she was kept in the crypt, the traditional place for Black Madonnas. Now she resides in a place in the church that is illumined by be sun at noon on August 15th - not bad either! 

Sources:
The amazing website Lieux Sacres has great detail and photos about this shrine.
Ean Begg, The Cult of the Black Virgin, Arkana Books, : 1985p.207

La-Chapelle-Geneste

16th century copy of older statue. The legend recounts that one day two shepherds saw their sheep prostrating themselves before a grove of trees called genets. As they approached, they became aware of an apparition of the Black Madonna.
The village owes its name to those trees. Its church still has some Romanesque parts.

Letnica

The Lady of the Black Mountain

In the village church of Letnica, 14th century
 She owes her title to the tradition that she appeared miraculously in these mountains. Her reputation for granting miracles is so great that people of all religions and even atheists come to her with their needs. Most famous among these pilgrims was Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She came to the Black Madonna when she was 17 years old and it is here that she heard God's voice calling her to become a missionary. The feast day of this Lady of the Black Mountain is celebrated with a great procession on the feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, August 15th.

For more information watch this video or read this article.

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