P. Gorazd Cetkovský, O.Carm.
“The family” of the Wyder image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
I admit that such a title is somewhat peculiar. As in a family, there exists kinship among various images (in our case, among the images of Our Lady of Mount Carmel). Initially, I believed that I could uncover a chain of direct continuity between the Wyder image and older Carmelite images all the way back to the very original one. After some time spent contemplating this topic and gathering the knowledge available to me, I “tamed” myself and became more modest. I do not dare to hypothesize about the direct lineage of the Wyder image to another (in the sense of the relationship: mother - daughter), but I will only speak of kinship without further specification (kin are mother and daughter, sisters among themselves, but also niece and aunt, etc.). If I offend experts, I apologize, but if this helps us to see Mary’s beauty with new richness and freshness, my goal will have been achieved.
Our Lady, known as “La Bruna”
The name of this image could be literally translated as Our Lady of the Dark Complexion, and it is not hard to imagine that this designation originates from the dark skin tone depicted in the image of Our Lady.
The image is preserved in the church at the Carmelite monastery in Naples and has become so well-known that this church has been visited by pilgrims to such an extent that it has been granted the honorary title of basilica: Basilica Santuario del Carmine Maggiore.
Legends state that the birthplace of the image is the Holy Land, as the Carmelites brought this image to Naples directly from Mount Carmel.
Historians confirm that the Carmelites, shortly after the establishment of their community, began to move to the safety of Europe due to the onslaught of the Saracens. They settled in Naples around the year 1250, initially outside the city at a place called Campo Moricino – as hermits. Thus, it corresponded to the solitude of the Carmelite mountains where the order originated, and the original form of their life. At that time, there stood a small church at Campo Moricino dedicated to St. Nicholas (the famous saint – miracle worker). In this chapel, there was a cave or crypt containing an icon of Our Lady with the Child. The image was attributed to St. Luke (as many others at that time), but it is likely a work from the Tuscan school dating back to the 13th century. It is certainly among the oldest or perhaps the absolutely oldest Marian Carmelite image that we know of.
The belief that the image was brought by the Carmelites from Mount Carmel seems to be a somewhat later tradition. Experts point out that Carmelite Marian images in the 13th century indeed originated from the East or at least adhered deliberately to the style of Eastern icons, continuously reminding that the order came to Europe from the Holy Land, from the East.
The icon “La Bruna” is painted on wood, is quite large (80 × 100 cm), and has been significantly damaged and repainted in the past. It was last restored in 1974.
The depiction of Our Lady with the Christ Child belongs to the iconographic type known in Greek as Eleusa and in Russian as Umilenie.
The Eleusa Iconographic Type
The Greek word is often translated as “tender” or “compassionate,”1 but perhaps we could better say “sympathetic.” The Greek term is said to originally mean “touching” and contains a rich significance. It encompasses comfort, humility, and deep pain.2 And indeed, all this can be perceived in the gesture with which Mary gently leans toward her Child, aware of the suffering that awaits them.
Interpretation of Individual Details on the Icon “La Bruna”
Icons were created following certain rules that their creators adhered to, and many individual details on the icon have symbolic significance. If we focus our attention on them and attempt to perceive their symbolic meaning, it can enliven our understanding of Our Lady and deepen our relationship with her.
- The golden halos of both figures and the golden background of the icon indicate the holiness of the Mother and Child. Gold is the color of the sun, and Mary and Jesus are always accompanied by the presence of God.
- The blue (blue-green) color of Mary’s cloak recalls water, a symbol of fertility, and proclaims Mary’s motherhood: Mary is the Mother of God.
- The red color (symbol of love) of the garment that Mary wears beneath her cloak, part of which covers the Child, expresses Mary’s strong and tender maternal love for her son Jesus. Red is also the color of activity, zeal, and effort in icons...3
- The star with a vertically directed tail on Mary’s cloak symbolizes Mary’s perpetual virginity, i.e., before childbirth, during childbirth, and after childbirth.
- The garment of the Child resembles sheep's wool, emphasizing: Behold, this is the Lamb of God.
- The Child’s face sometimes lacks a childish expression in icons – as if attempting to indicate the eternal being of the Word made flesh. In my opinion, however, this element does not apply to our icon.
- Mary's left hand, which securely holds the child in her arms, signifies gentleness. The same can be said of Mary's right hand on the icon “La Bruna,” which corresponds to the iconographic type Umilenie. In other types of icons, Mary’s right hand points to the Child in response to our plea: “Jesus, the blessed fruit of your womb,... show us!”: “Behold, the way, the truth, and the life.”
- The face of the Mother touches the face of the Child and has a sweet intimacy. The gestures of Jesus’ hands – as he touches Mary’s face and grasps her clothing – strongly enhance this expression.
- Jesus’ eyes are directed toward us, outside the icon, thus expressing Jesus’ redemptive mission. Mary, carrying the Child, shares in the work of our redemption.
- Mary’s gaze does not focus on us, nor does it focus on the Child. It seems to gently lift above the Child into the distance, or rather, it penetrates into the depths of another space. This is because Mary already knows about the suffering that awaits her Son... I would say: she contemplates this mystery. Yet Mary’s face here is not torn by pain or veiled in sadness, although on other icons we find such expressions in her face.
- Thus, the icon embodies a element of dramatic tension: the naivety of the child cuddling close to the Mother contrasts with Mary's awareness that life in abundance, salvation will require much suffering, will come through a love that is not afraid of suffering...
To speak in the language of a theologian: “Thus, this depiction of Our Lady, this Umilenije, speaks to every Carmelite and Marian devotee about Our Lady’s participation in the mystery of Christ and the church and invites to deep trust, surrender, and following Mary and her Son, our Savior...”
Expressed from the perspective of an ordinary person: we look at this icon, marveling at the Mother and Son, placing ourselves in the position of the child in her arms... Or in spirit, we also enter into the stance of Mary toward Jesus... Gradually, gently, with all the offers of the thoughts hidden in the image that we explained above.
And as the brothers from the Neapolitan convent say:
“We can perceive (almost hear) the earnest prayers of countless souls that have risen before this icon over so many centuries. The arms of the Mother encompass the life journey of every single person; nothing is torn from her embrace, nothing halts the affection of her mother’s heart...”
Back to the History of the Image:
Pilgrimage to Rome in the Jubilee Year 1500 – The Beginning of an Avalanche
When the Jubilee Year was declared in 1500, on April 7 of that year, the Neapolitan guild of tanners, joined by many other pious people, set out on a pilgrimage to Rome to gain the indulgences of the jubilee year. They carried the icon of Our Lady "La Bruna" with them. During the pilgrimage, “many miracles” happened “to different people in different lands” through the intercession of Our Lady. When they reached Rome after a week of traveling, the icon was displayed in St. Peter's Basilica so that everyone could pray before it. Even Pope Alexander VI approached to pray before it. According to old stories, however, the image garnered such interest among believers in Rome that it became a kind of “competition” for traditional Roman holy places. At the pope’s request, the Neapolitan pilgrims (by the fifth day of their arrival in the eternal city) set off on their return journey with the beloved image, during which miracles and wonders continued to occur. When they reached Naples after a week’s journey, the image received a triumphant welcome. It was then placed in a more honored location (having previously always been in the church’s crypt) and many pious people from all over the Neapolitan kingdom flocked to it to ask Our Lady for intercession in their needs. The number of graces received, physical healings, and spiritual benefits continued to grow.
Forms of Popular Devotion in Naples,
Established in Relation to the Icon “La Bruna”
Two months after the return of the pilgrims, on Wednesday, June 24, 1500, by order of Frederick II of Aragon, many sick people gathered in the Carmelite church to ask for their healing through Mary’s maternal intercession. Contemporary testimonies do indeed mention cases of healing. Following this event, Wednesday became a day particularly dedicated to honoring Our Lady, represented by the icon “La Bruna,” in Naples. On Wednesday mornings, the faithful would come to the Carmelite church for Mass and confession, while evening devotions consisted of litanies, inspired in many ways by the Loretan litany but including invocations of Carmelite and local origin. The “Carmelite Wednesday” is still vividly reflected in Naples. Today, an important element of it is catechism inserted into the morning Mass. Each year, the catechesis is dedicated to a specific theme.
The Expansion of the Cult After 1500 (and the Path to Us...)
The devotion to the icon “La Bruna” and the piety it inspired spread not only in the city and the Neapolitan kingdom but also within the order, and thus to other countries. Perhaps it was helped by the fact that a general chapter of the Carmelite order took place in Naples in 1510. The general chapter held in 1524 further emphasized the importance of the Neapolitan convent and sanctuary by putting the convent under the special care of the general prior (the prior of the local convent was granted powers comparable to those of the provincials). The aim was to further foster the bloom of Marian devotion among the faithful and pilgrims.
Since the end of the 16th century, Marian devotion inspired by the icon “La Bruna” became closely associated with the Marian devotion expressed through the scapular, thus also directly linked to the intercessory prayer for souls in purgatory.
Many convent churches across almost all of Europe were then adorned with the image of the “Our Lady of Naples.” (At the beginning of the 17th century, the secretary of the general prior, Jindřich Silvia, counted a total of 53 such images in various provinces.) Often this was done at the direct instruction of superiors, as in Belgium, where it was stipulated in 1657 that such an image of Our Lady should be placed in every Carmelite church and, if possible, also in the convent. Many brothers carried with them a small picture or medal depicting Our Lady “La Bruna.” Similarly, when the Church of St. Havel in Prague became a Carmelite church and was baroque reconstructed, it was provided with the image of “Our Lady of Naples” for the chapel of Our Lady. In golden renditions, we encounter this motif already upon entering the church in the exterior facade, clearly testifying to its key significance in the conceptual design of the entire structure.
An important driving force behind the popularity of the depiction “La Bruna” was the belief that the Neapolitan original originally came from Syria or probably directly from Mount Carmel, that the Carmelites brought it from there. Many also believed that the image was painted by St. Luke and thus had been venerated on Mount Carmel since ancient times. However, learned Carmelite authors always spoke critically about this. At the same time as the depiction of Our Lady according to the icon “La Bruna” spread, the accompanying traditional forms of devotion took hold as well: Wednesday Mass and confession, evening prayers with litanies.
The Kinship of the Icon “La Bruna”
with the Image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Kostelní Vydří
There is no doubt that the image commissioned in 1709 by Mr. Gerhard Jindřich Butz of the Wyder estate and his wife Helena, née Hilleprandt von Reinegg, is a copy of the Neapolitan “prototype,” as the icon of Our Lady “La Bruna” was reverently called and widely beloved at the time. It is enough to place both images side by side and we can perceive individual similarities. Returning to my initial naive comparison, I can say that the icon “La Bruna” is the oldest member of the family of the Wyder image of Our Lady, the “great-grandmother,” to which, however, her 450-year younger relative undoubtedly bears a very faithful resemblance.
