Who is the Black Madonna? In Orthodox and Catholic churches in Europe alone, there are around 500 statues and icons of Mary and Jesus where both are depicted as black, or dark-skinned. Most of these images appeared in the 12th and 13th century, although some date even earlier. The shrines of Black Madonnas are associated with many miracles and are often connected with pre-Christian places of worship of Artemis/Diana, Cybele, Aphrodite/Venus, Demeter, Astarte and Isis. The Black Madonnas were associated with the Knights Templar who reportedly brought them back from the Orient, with the esoteric currents of Christianity connected to John the Baptist and Mary Magdalene, and with the sciences of alchemy and sacred geometry (much of which came from the Arab world). What is the origin and significance of these Black Madonnas? And how may they be a guide to us?