Our Lady of Dublin
Encyclopedia
Our Lady of Dublin is a statue
of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus
. The statue is currently on display in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church
in Dublin, Ireland
that represents the Black Madonna
of Ireland.
on Mary Street in Dublin which was dissolved as part of the Henrician reforms in 1539 (see: Dissolution of the Monasteries
).
The first concrete historical mention dates from 1749 in a survey of the Catholic Chapels of Dublin, which refers to a statue in St. Mary's Lane Parochial Chapel. The chapel was torn down in 1816 to make way for a new school and no further mention of the statue is recorded until it was found by Father John Spratt, a member of the Carmelite order in 1824.
The restored statue has been on display near the high altar of Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in a purpose built shrine since 1915.
The feast-day of Our Lady of Dublin is celebrated on September 8.
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
. The statue is currently on display in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church
Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church
The Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church is a Roman Catholic church in Dublin, Ireland maintained by the Carmelite order. The church is noted for having the relics of Saint Valentine, which were donated to the church in the 19th century by Pope Gregory XVI from their previous location in the cemetery...
in Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
that represents the Black Madonna
Black Madonna
A Black Madonna or Black Virgin is a statue or painting of the Virgin Mary in which the Virgin Mary is black. The term was especially applied to those created in Europe in the medieval period or earlier...
of Ireland.
Art History Perspective
Stylistically, the statue resembles early sixteenth century wooden statuary and probably dates from that period.History
Local legend with tenuous documentary support suggest that the statue originated in St. Mary's AbbeySt. Mary's Abbey, Dublin
St. Mary's Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey located near Abbey Street in Dublin, Ireland. Its territory stretched from the district known as Oxmanstown down along the river Liffey until it met the sea. It also owned large estates in other parts of Ireland...
on Mary Street in Dublin which was dissolved as part of the Henrician reforms in 1539 (see: Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
).
The first concrete historical mention dates from 1749 in a survey of the Catholic Chapels of Dublin, which refers to a statue in St. Mary's Lane Parochial Chapel. The chapel was torn down in 1816 to make way for a new school and no further mention of the statue is recorded until it was found by Father John Spratt, a member of the Carmelite order in 1824.
The restored statue has been on display near the high altar of Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in a purpose built shrine since 1915.
The feast-day of Our Lady of Dublin is celebrated on September 8.