About this place
The Statue of Our Lady of Rušánka stands on Komenský Square (Komenského náměstí) in Jičín, and its backstory is more unusual than the sculpture itself: a dark-skinned Madonna icon, a devotional cult that once renamed an entire town square, and a monument that has quietly outlasted the very name it gave to its surroundings.
Why is it called "Rušánská"?
The statue was inspired by a 16th-century Ukrainian icon showing the Virgin Mary with dark skin — a so-called Black Madonna. That icon, venerated as miraculous, was kept in the Church of St. Ignatius in Jičín, and it was this image that prompted local patrons to commission a stone figure referencing it in the town itself. The name "Rušánská" ties directly back to the origin of that icon and the devotion surrounding it, rather than to any local person or place name.
Where does the statue stand today?
The monument stands on what is now Komenský Square, in the historic centre of Jičín, in the Hradec Králové Region (Jičín district). Until 1919, the square carried a different name altogether: Mariánské náměstí (Marian Square), named after this very statue. Only after 1919 was it renamed to Komenského náměstí, honouring Jan Amos Komenský.
Why did this spot matter so much to the town?
The fact that Jičín's central square was known by a name tied to this single statue for nearly two centuries says something about how deeply the devotion attached to it. The cult around the dark-skinned icon from the Church of St. Ignatius was strong enough that it — rather than any other landmark or historical figure — defined the identity of this public space for generations before the square was eventually renamed.
What else is worth seeing nearby?
Since the statue's story is inseparable from the icon kept at the Church of St. Ignatius, it makes sense to pair a stop at the statue on Komenský Square with a visit to that church, the original source of inspiration for the monument. The square itself sits right in the historic core of Jičín, surrounded by the town's other period buildings.
Frequently asked questions
When was the Statue of Our Lady of Rušánská made? It was created in the middle of the 18th century.
What does "Rušánská" refer to? The name comes from a 16th-century Ukrainian icon of a dark-skinned Virgin Mary — a Black Madonna — that inspired the creation of the statue.
Where was the icon that inspired the statue kept? In the Church of St. Ignatius in Jičín.
Where does the statue stand now? On Komenský Square, in the centre of Jičín.
Did the square always have its current name? No. Until 1919 it was called Mariánské náměstí (Marian Square) because of this statue, before being renamed Komenského náměstí.
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