Why does Mary have features on her face?

Why does Mary have facial features? Probably not everyone realises what kind of facial features Mary has. As we have explained in the previous articles, Our Lady plays a special role in the hearts of the Polish believers.

Mary is the Queen of Poland, and she especially loved our nation. No wonder, then, that Mary's image appears in such large numbers in the works of Polish artists. One of the most popular images is that of the Black Madonna located in the Jasna Gora Chapel in Czestochowa. This image is very distinctive, and every Catholic can recognize it. The Mother of God in the painting is depicted with a child in her arms.

However, what catches the eye is that she is depicted as a dark, dark-skinned figure. Another distinguishing mark are two parallel running scratches, crossed by a third, running on the cheek of the Virgin Mary. The neck, in turn, shows six smaller and less visible cuts. Why does Mary have features on her face? The scratches themselves are the result of an attack that happened in 1430, when the painting was cut with daggers.

King Władysław Jagiełło ordered its restoration, but the restoration arts of that time were not very advanced. The cut marks were not removed and attempts were made to paint over them without success. Another version says that the marks were left on purpose to remember the attack. It is estimated that the scratches were exposed in 1434, when the restoration of the painting was being completed.