Switzerland: Asylum-Seeker Desecrates the Black Madonna of Einsiedeln

On November 16, a 17-year-old Afghan asylum-seeker walked into the monastery chapel of the Swiss town of Einsiedeln, and in front of astonished visitors, tore the clothing off of the much-venerated Black Madonna, which had been placed there in the 15th century, removed the crown, and put it on his own head before police arrived to take him into custody.

The below article from Bote (Switzerland) is translated from German by Fousesquawk.

Confused teenager undresses the Black Madonna

A sad incident in the monastery in Einsiedeln. A deranged 17-year-old caused damage to the Black Madonna. Before the eyes of the shocked pilgrims, he tore the clothing from the image of grace.

November 16, 2024 at 18:32

At noon Saturday, at the Chapel of Grace in the Einsiedeln Monastery, a disturbing incident occurred that will be talked about for a long time. In the evening, the Einsiedeln Monstery announced: “In the presence of many praying pilgrims, a confused person forcibly removed the clothing of the Black Madonna”. According to information from TeleZur, the 17-year-old asylum-seeker from Afghanistan also set the crown of the Black Madonna on his head.

The much-venerated image of grace from the 15th century, which is visited annually by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, suffered light damage.”We are thankful that more did not occur, and above all, nobody was injured,” said the Einsiedeln Monastery. And further,” We are deeply sorry about this incident and are thinking of the many people present whose religious feelings were hurt. Our prayers and thoughts are with them, as with also the person taken into custody.” As possible crimes, among others, there is disruption of religious freedom and property damage. 

The motive of the 17-year-old is presently under police investigation. The Schwyzer (canton) police spokesperson Roman Gisler: “The person was taken to a medical institute.” The monastery thanks the police officers who quickly arrived on the scene, as well as the monastery stewards for their “courageous and judicious intervention.”

Finally, the message from the Monastery leadership said, “In our efforts to make the Einsiedeln Monastery a place of peace and reconciliation, we use this event as an opportunity for prayer. In this sense, the Rosary prayer on Sunday evening, 17 November at 18:15 will be specially designed.”

The importance of the Black Madonna

The Black Madonna of Einsiedeln has for centuries, been an important destination for pilgrims from all over the world. She is visited annually by several hundred thousands of pilgrims. In the Chapel of Mercy, the pilgrims bring their diverse concerns. The 117-centimeter-high Madonna with the child in her left arm, came to the chapel in 1466. In accordance with the declaration of the monastery, the Jesus-child is naked. The Mother of God figure wears a strawberry red imitation damast fabric dress held by a belt under the breast and falls down in bright folds. The monastery fire of 1465, which broke out in the Holy Chapel, destroyed the old Madonna. Whether the image of a new image of mercy was commissioned or a statue already in the monastery was used is uncertain.