author Jan Dobraczyński
August 26, 1982, marked 600 years – as tradition has it – since the Miraculous Image of Our Lady arrived at Jasna Gora. It is said to have been donated by the Byzantine Emperor to the Ruthenian Duke Lev as a reward for the latter’s services, and for 500 years adorned the castle in the Ruthenian town of Belz, to be brought to Poland by Wladyslaw, Duke of Opole only in the 14th century. The Icon’s earlier history is unknown. According to religious tradition, St. Luke painted it on boards taken from the table of the Last Supper. Scientific studies suggest, however, that the Icon was actually painted in the 5th or 6th century AD. —from the dust jacket. English language translation copyright 1988 by Polonia Publishers, Warsaw, Poland.
