Madonna del Monserrato in Craco

A prayer card with a photograph of the Madonna del Monserrato statue in Craco Vecchio. It followed the tradition of being a Black Madonna.

Reprinted from the July 2020 Craco Society Bulletin

Among the veneration of saints in Craco Vecchio was a following dedicated to the Madonna del Monserrato. Domenico Montemuro, who provided the Society with many images from “Craco Ieri” (Craco Yesterday) included several related to this Madonna that are shown here.

The Madonna del Monserrato, has its roots from a Catalan Madonna called Madonna of Triumph, named after the victory of Christians over Muslims; when they took the statue from Saracen destruction, hid it on the top of Montserrat, hence the new name. It is one of the most famous of the Black Madonna statues in the world and is enshrined in a Basilica in Monserrat, Spain.

How the veneration of this Madonna started in Craco is not known but Note Storiche sul Comune di Craco, the town’s history book, tells us the private chapel dedicated to Santa Maria di Monserrato was founded in the sixteenth century. It was described as, “Santa Maria di Monserrato (with a small cemetery adjoining), which was subsidized by the DeSimeone family. In the eighteenth century the family gave the church four carlini per year. It held many religious antiquities and Mass was said every Sunday. At the beginning of this century, it was restored with donations made by Crachesi who immigrated to America. Many Crachesi are still devoted to this Madonna.”

A scene from the feast day celebration for the Madonna with a devotee carrying a cirio in the foreground with the chapel in Craco Vecchio dedicated to the Madonna del Monserrato in the background. 

The undated woodcut image titled S. Maria di Monserrato indicates the feast day was celebrated in Craco on the third Sunday in September.

Photos courtesy of the Craco Society