Figure

One of the most important pilgrimage sites of the Black Forest was the territorial abbacy Maria Einsiedeln in the canton of Schwyz. The miraculous image of the Black Madonna protects body and soul, house and home. The back of the terracotta figurine was scraped (German: schaben, to scape, hence »Schabemadonna«) with a knife. The particles of dust thus garnered was then added to food and ingested. This action promised a speedy recovery.