A term that may apply to (A) a painting or sculpture that has darkened over time from candle smoke or dirt, or a black statue often thought to be the Virgin Mary, or (B) a painting or sculpture originally created with dark skin. There are many interpretations as to the origins and meanings of the dark-skinned madonnas, but one of interest for Da Vinci Code readers comes from southern France. A legend says that Mary Magdalene traveled there with Mary, the mother of James and John, the Virgin Mary, and their servant girl, Sarah. Seventeen centuries later—in 1686—the young girl Sarah was named the patron saint of the European Gypsies and was said to be the mother of the Black Madonna. See Notre-Dame-de-la-Mer.