The Virgin of Montserrat, 12th century Romanesque wooden statue of the Virgin and child at the basilica of the Santa Maria de Montserrat monastery on the Montserrat mountain near Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. This is one of the few black Madonnas in Europe (its black colour is caused by a chemical reaction of the varnish over time) and its provenance is surrounded in legend. It depicts a seated Virgin wearing a crown and  holding a globe, with the Christ child, also crowned, on her lap. Picture by Manuel Cohen