But Karamzin was right and some modern Western scholars indirectly confirm this.
Economic prosperity
and the cult of the Black Madonna
There is a prevalent myth in Western history, that the Middle Ages was a time of constant wars and inquisition at the territory of present-day Europe. But Belgian scientist and financier Bernard Lietaer has a different opinion on this matter, he outlinedin his book "The Mystery of Money".[21]
"... Now we know, that there are two or three centuries at the middle (about X-XIII century), during which there was a totally different process...
We all know that in America and Western Europe, the average height has increased over the past generations. This phenomenon is usually explained by the improvement of nutrition, especially in childhood and adolescence. The study of people body size from the Stone Age to the present time in the same areas of London, shows surprising results.
It turns out, that at the X-XI centuries, women were, on average, higher compared to any other period, including the current time. During the Saxon period an average London woman was a centimeter higher than modern woman and 7 cm higher than woman at the Victorian period[22]. Men had started to grow only during the last 50 years and by 1988 escalated their compatriot from the X-XII centuries.
The bones taken out of the men graves buried in England in the year 1000 A.D., show strong and healthy people - the Anglo-Saxons occupied most of the British Isles after the departure of the Romans. Nine out of ten people lived in a clean area, ate simple food, were strong, had healthy organs, healthy teeth and healthy body.
Later, it became worse: the archaeologists, studying XIV-XV century, speak about unhealthy fragility of the skeletal remains.
Some historians even claim, that the quality of ordinary people life was the highest in the European history during specific economic boom!
Let`s give statements of Frenchhistorians.Guy Fourquin,historian: "For France, XIII century was the last century, known as the "common prosperity".Icher Francois, the historian: "Between the XI and XIII centuries the western world flourished, that was evidenced by the unprecedented in the history of the demographic explosion." HistorianD. Damaschke: "The time between 1150 and1250 was a period of rapid development, economic prosperity, which we can hardly imagine today."
According estimations, between 1000 and 1300 AD the growth of population had unprecedented rate and population was doubled. In fact, only by 1700 the population of England regained his strength and reached the level of 1300! ".
As for religion, unequivocal opinion prevails in this matter, that almost all Europe was Catholic, especially after the separation of churches in 1054.
However Lietaer holds another opinion. He discovered the link among economic prosperity of European society with a religious system, which he called the "Cult of the Black Madonna."
The author gives some facts about the time of Black Madonna cult:
1. In contrast to modern Christian tradition, all the official documents ... always put the name of Black Madonna before the name of Christ.
2. A number of prominent religious leaders, who become saints of the Latin Church later, worshiped Black Madonna. Joan of Arc prayed to Black Madonna, known as Notre Dame Miraculeuse (miracle). Legend claims, that Jesus Christ himself worshiped the statue of Black Madonna, when surrounded by the four evangelists.
3. The statement, that the statue was not made, but definitely found nearby, or even in the most ancient pagan symbolic place, for example in dolmens, was the first unusual feature of the legend, attributed to most Black Madonnas, and only to these types of statues.
Moreover, these statues occur to be important marks along the road to Santiago de Compostela. This road is one of the oldest pre-Christian tract in Europe, as it was proven by marks relating to the Stone Age. All this means, that the cult of the Black Madonna belongs to the most ancient religious cults known by man. French authorJacquesBonvinconcludes: "Only the Black Madonna was able to crystallize all the beliefs of pagan traditions with the Christian faith, without falsification of at least one of all the countless superstitions. In this aspect Black Madonna is unique. "
4. None of the original Black Madonna was dated later than the XIII century.
5. Sculpture has always represented by "Virgin in Greatness," where sitting Mother and child look at a single point in the distant perspective.
6. It is invariably placed in the pre-Christian place of worship, or other Celtic pagan Mother Goddess. Even when a whole cathedral was built for her, she was always kept in the crypt under the cathedral.
7. Often sanctuaries were located near holy springs or wells, or near the stones of prehistoric cults.
8. The legend associated with the statue usually has a clear oriental element: crusader brought the statue from the East, pilgrims to the Holy Land were saved, awakened by her and etc.
9. The official title referred to this statue - Alma Mater - "Noble Mother."
10. The face of the Virgin and her hands are always almost black, thus, her name "Black Madonna" is justified.
Black colour was systematically reduced by the Roman church. Until today, the church tried to explain black color as random, as a result of smoke from the candles. But if the face and hands of the Virgin and Child were originally black, why have their multicolor clothes kept color, and why a similar process didn`t happen with the other statues of the same period? Subservient to Rome priests repainted face and hands in white color among the historically proven cases.
In the temple of Diana in Ephesus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, people revered completely black statue of the goddess. It is assumed, Mary lived in this city after the death of Christ, and Her Assumption took place in a place called karatchalti (literally "black stone").
Monastery Mega Spileo (Spileon). Greece. t is believed, that this icon was made by Evangelist Luke.
So, what was the secret message of Black Madonna?
This question has many aspects. The most literal reading is, that Black Madonnasymbolizes Mother Earth, and the child represents humanity, each of us. Moreover, one of the first images of the Virgin Mary, giving the breast to Christ Child, was located in a Christian monastery in Jeremiah, the Egyptian Sahara, and apparently this image depicting Isis suckling Horus was inspired by Egyptian iconography. By the way the legend tells, that in Egypt people worshiped the Virgin Mary even before the birth of Christ, because Jeremiah prophesied to them, that a savior should be born by a virgin.
Standard encyclopedia devoted to classical mythology, contain entire sections, dedicated to "identifying Isis with the Virgin Mary."
Bernard Lietaer discovered, that falling the Black Madonna cult occurred simultaneously with the change of the financial system and was "accompanied by a strong decline in the living standards of ordinary people."
"So, what was the difference of new financial system, which came from the beginning of the XIV century? In short, dual monetary system of the Central Middle Ages was rejected. Along with the “long-distance” demurrage – free currency for foreign trade suitable for accumulation for the future, everywhere local money were used, and this currency was demurrage-charged. Here, instead of this binary monetary system, authorities began to establish a new single centralized monetary system.