Black Virgin Mary..... Sainte Marie de la Mer.

I am so sure some of you will be wondering what this is about and wondering if there truly is a black virgin Mary....(The mother of Jesus Christ), well if we look at history and the genealogy of the real Virgin Mary we can all agree that she was of the African origin and her skin colour was perhaps Black or Brown if you will like to say. Based on the fact that no one's skin in the world is truly of the black colour.

Sainte Sara's Statue, on the ground where her dead and decaying body was found. It was so spiritual to walk in there, my spirit lit up.

Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to a sacred location, one which I was indeed excited and intrigued about especially as I am a Christian and this site counts as one of the sacred places in

 France.  It was a trip that I was emotional about, part of my emotions you could say was ascribed to the origin and image of Saint Sara that was displayed in front of me as a Black woman of an African origin of course :) Location: Sainte Marie de la Mer(Camargue), France.



So who am talking about here ???

I am talking about Sainte Sara also known as Sara la Kali, the Sainte patron of the Gypsies. According to records, during the persecutions of early Christians, Lazarus and his sisters Mary Madeleine, Martha, Mary Salome (the mother of John and James), Mary Jacobe and Maximin were chased away from Palestine with the Bethany family in a small boat. They sailed through the Mediterranean sea and they arrived at the Coast of Camargue (Cote de Camargue), which was known as Gaul back then and now Sainte Marie de la Mer in France. Sainte Sara was said to be their accompanying servant who watched and prayed with the family. Though the new chapters of the bible speak nothing of Sainte Sara, the Galilean Testament of NSJC in the first or beginning of the second century spoke of her.

Sainte Maries and the plaques of thanksgiving surrounding them

More on the tradition.

It spoke of a Sara that was with the women saints who were at the tomb of Jesus during His resurrection. She could have been a wife of  Pilate but she was rejected because she became a Christian.  She was presented as being of Egyptian origin with dark skin. It was said that at the beginning of the Saint Marys departure from Palestine, Sara was not on the ship to follow them but when she saw the other Saint Marys she strongly desired to follow them and so Mary Salome, put her in the boat with them. She followed them to Camargue and was with the other Saint Maries in worship and prayers always.

goofing.... am sure she is a mother excited to see me too, lol

I thought I should smile next to her while I pray too - multitasking loool

A large painting of Sainte Sara donated to her in thanksgiving seating just next to her statue.

They built a church over the site where Sainte Sara's body was found in the underground of the building and a statue of her was built and is preserved there. Walking into the room under the church"s alter, you are instantly faced with an array of prayer candles and plaques of answered prayers and the Holy Statue clothed with cloaks of thanksgiving. (In France it is expected that if one prayed to a Sainte and the prayers were answered you could make a plaque mostly in Marble and place it next to the statue in thanksgiving or one could put up a picture). There is a picture that dated back to the 17th century. Going into this small stone coloured church, you would also see a replica of the boat that brought the Marys to Camargue and every year, the people or locals of Sainte Mary de la Mer, have a sacred procession where they take the statue of Sainte Sara  with a multitude of people and church priests back to the sea to mark her entrance to the city. It is also said that she was buried in that sea that surrounds the little town.

Sainte Sara

The Replica of the boat the Saint Mary's Came in

Looking into the barricade that protected the hole the Saints drank and made water from, looking like a lady Moses..lool

Pardon my photographer, he was too interested in my beauty - poor stranger...lol

In the end, I was overwhelmed with emotions, I had so much to say but I never forgot to pray or to light a candle in prayer. Amen. Definitely, one of the places to visit if you ever visit south of France

XOXO :)