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Saint Sarah
Saint Sarah
Saint Sarah
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Saint Sarah, also known as Sara-la-Kâli ("Sara the Black"; Romani: Sara e Kali), is the patron saint of the Romani people in Folk Catholicism. The center of her veneration is Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, a place of pilgrimage for Roma in the Camargue, in Southern France. Legend identifies her as the servant of one of the Three Marys, with whom she is supposed to have arrived in the Camargue.[1] Saint Sarah also shares her name with the Hindu goddess Kali who is a popular deity in northern India from where the Romani people originate. The name "Sara" itself is seen in the appellation of Durga as Kali in the famed text Durgasaptashati.[2] Despite her popular veneration amongst Romani Catholics, she is not considered a Saint by the Roman Catholic Church.[3]

Key Information

Accounts

[edit]
Lorenzo Monaco, The Three Marys at the Tomb
Interior of the Church of the Saintes Maries de la Mer
Ritual bath during the Romani pilgrimage of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.

According to various legends, during a persecution of early Christians, commonly placed in the year 42, Lazarus, his sisters Mary and Martha, Mary Salome (the mother of the Apostles John and James), Mary Jacobe and Maximin were sent out to sea in a boat. They arrived safely on the southern shore of Gaul at the place later called Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. Sarah, a native of Berenice Troglodytica, appears as the black Indo-Egyptian maid of one of the Three Marys, usually Mary Jacobe.[4] (The natives of Berenice Troglodytica had ancestors who once came from the Malabar Coast, through Indo-Roman trade relations, and settled in Egypt (Roman province) and intermarried with Egyptians.)

Though the tradition of the Three Marys arriving in France stems from the High Middle Ages, appearing for instance in the 13th century Golden Legend, Saint Sarah makes her first appearance in Vincent Philippon's book The Legend of the Saintes-Maries (1521), where she is portrayed as "a charitable woman that helped people by collecting alms, which led to the popular belief that she was a Gypsy." Subsequently, Sarah was adopted by Romani as their saint.[5]

Another account has Sarah welcoming the Three Marys into Gaul. Franz de Ville (1956) writes:

One of our people who received the first Revelation was Sara the Kali. She was of noble birth and was chief of her tribe on the banks of the Rhône. She knew the secrets that had been transmitted to her... The Rom at that period practiced a polytheistic religion, and once a year they took out on their shoulders the statue of Ishtari (Astarte) and went into the sea to receive benediction there. One day Sara had visions which informed her that the Saints who had been present at the death of Jesus would come, and that she must help them. Sara saw them arrive in a boat. The sea was rough, and the boat threatened to founder. Mary Salome threw her cloak on the waves and, using it as a raft, Sarah floated towards the Saints and helped them reach land by praying.[6]

Pilgrimage

[edit]

The day of the pilgrimage honouring Sarah is May 24; her statue is carried down to the sea on this day to re-enact her arrival in France.[citation needed]

Some authors have drawn parallels between the ceremonies of the pilgrimage and the worship of the Hindu goddess Kali (a form of Durga), subsequently identifying the two.[7] Ronald Lee (2001) states:

If we compare the ceremonies with those performed in France at the shrine of Sainte Sara (called Sara e Kali in Romani), we become aware that the worship of Kali/Durga/Sara has been transferred to a Christian figure... in France, to a non-existent "sainte" called Sara, who is actually part of the Kali/Durga/Sara worship among certain groups in India.[8]

The name "Sara" itself is seen in the appellation of Durga as Kali in the famed text Durgasaptashati.[2]

[edit]

Some authors,[9][10][11] taking up themes from the pseudohistorical book Holy Blood, Holy Grail, suggest that Sarah was the daughter of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. These ideas were popularized by Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, Eron Manusov's Ahavah's Dream,[12] and The Maeve Chronicles by Elizabeth Cunningham.[13] These speculations have been rejected by the local inhabitants and by scholars.[14][15]

  • In The Rozabal Line, author Ashwin Sanghi puts forward that Sara-la-Kali refers to the three Hindu goddesses – Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Kali – the goddesses of Knowledge, Wealth and Power – symbolizing the trinity of female power.
  • In Paulo Coelho's novel The Witch of Portobello, St. Sarah is mentioned several times.
  • Alistair MacLean's 1970 thriller, Caravan to Vaccarès is set during the pilgrimage to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
  • Czon the Swedish artist did a portrait of Sara La Kali outside the church in "Saintes Maries de la Mer" 2018.[16]
  • The statue of Saint Sarah makes an appearance in Tony Gatlif's 1993 film Latcho Drom (Safe Journey) where it is carried to the sea, and her landing is re-enacted.
  • In Korkoro, also a Tony Gatlif film, the Romani often pray to Saint Sarah with intense fervor.
  • The Chilean telenovela Romané also portrays the Romani's fervor for Sara Kali, set in Antofagasta Region, North of Chile.

References

[edit]

Sources

[edit]
  • de Ville, Franz, Traditions of the Roma in Belgium, Brussels, 1956.
  • Droit, Michel, Carmague. Ernest and Adair Heimann (trans.). London: George Allen and Unwin, 1963.
  • Fonseca, Isabel, Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey. New York: Knopf, 1996.
  • Kinsley, David R. Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition.' Berkeley: University of California Press, 1988.
  • Lee, Ronald, "The Rom-Vlach Gypsies and the Kris-Romani", in: Walter Weyrauch (ed.), Gypsy Law: Romani Legal Traditions and Culture, Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001.
  • McDowell, Bart, Gypsies: Wanderers of the World', Washington: National Geographic Society, 1970.
  • Weyrauch, Walter, "Oral Legal Traditions of Gypsies", in: Walter Weyrauch (ed.), Gypsy Law: Romani Legal Traditions and Culture, Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001.
[edit]
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Saint Sarah

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Saint Sarah, also known as Sara-la-Kali or "Sarah the Black," is the unofficial of the , revered as a protector of the oppressed, displaced, and pregnant women across and beyond. She is depicted as a dark-skinned figure, often as a , symbolizing feminine strength, , and motherly love within Romani spiritual traditions. Although never formally canonized by the , her veneration has been tolerated since the early , blending Christian with pre-Christian elements tied to the from . According to local legend in the region of , Saint Sarah was an Egyptian handmaiden who accompanied the biblical figures , Mary Salome, and Mary Jacobe as they fled persecution and arrived by boat at what is now around the 1st century AD. This narrative, first documented in the by chronicler Vincent Philippon, portrays her as a devoted servant who aided in spreading in . Scholars note her historical origins remain enigmatic, with no definitive evidence from early Church records, but her story gained prominence among Romani communities after their documented arrival in the area in 1438. The veneration of Saint Sarah is most prominently expressed through the annual Romani pilgrimage to , held on May 24 and 25, which draws over 10,000 participants from across and symbolizes communal identity and resilience amid centuries of persecution, including enslavement, expulsion, and known as the Porrajmos. During the event, formalized by the in 1935, a wooden of Sara-la-Kali—dressed in vibrant robes and adorned with offerings—is carried from her crypt through the streets and immersed in the , a echoing ancient purification practices and Hindu traditions of . This syncretic devotion reflects the Romani people's Indian roots, with some interpreting Sara as a Christianized form of the Hindu , the "Black One," who embodies destruction of evil and protection of the vulnerable. Beyond the pilgrimage, Saint Sarah holds profound cultural significance for the estimated 12 million Romani worldwide, serving as an icon of resistance to Romaphobia and a focal point for contemporary artistic and activist expressions that reclaim Romani heritage. Her image appears in , theater, and , reinforcing themes of empowerment for Romani women and the broader community's quest for recognition and rights. Despite her uncanonized status, the enduring popularity of her cult underscores the interplay between , migration history, and spiritual adaptation in shaping Romani identity.

Identity and Etymology

Names and Titles

Saint Sarah is the name for the saint venerated primarily by the , reflecting her role as their patron in folk Catholic traditions. In French, where her is most prominent, she is known as Sainte Sarah. The renders her name as Sara-la-Kali or Sara e Kali, with "Kali" signifying "black" and referring to her dark-skinned as a figure. The etymology of "la-Kâli" is widely linked to the Hindu goddess , a manifestation of associated with time, creation, and destruction, underscoring the Indian ancestral origins of the who adopted her into their spiritual practices; this is a popular scholarly interpretation of rather than a direct linguistic derivation. This connection highlights her syncretic identity, blending pre-Christian Indic elements with Christian veneration. In some Spanish-speaking Romani communities, she bears the title Sara del Mar, or Sarah of the , evoking her maritime associations in local lore. While occasionally confused with the biblical from the due to the shared name, Saint Sarah is distinctly portrayed as a first-century figure tied to early Christian narratives in . Linguistic variations also trace potential Egyptian or North African roots, with some traditions identifying her origins in the ancient port city of , suggesting influences from Indo-Egyptian cultural exchanges.

Historical and Legendary Identity

Saint Sarah, also known as Sara la Kali, holds no official recognition as a canonized saint within the Roman Catholic Church, existing instead as a figure of veneration in , especially among Romani communities who regard her as a protector of the oppressed and a symbol of maternal strength. Her cult's tolerance by local ecclesiastical authorities, such as at the church in Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, stems from popular devotion rather than formal processes. Possible historical inspirations for Saint Sarah trace to a legendary servant or companion from 1st-century , specifically associated with , an ancient port city, as a black Indo-Egyptian maid to one of in early Christian flight narratives. The first textual mention of her appears in Vincent Philippon's 1521 work La Légende des Saintes-Maries, which draws on 13th-century medieval hagiographical traditions like those in the Golden Legend concerning , though Sarah herself is absent from earlier primary accounts. No archaeological or primary historical evidence confirms her existence, positioning her identity firmly within legendary constructs rather than verifiable history. The legendary evolution of Saint Sarah emerged in the late medieval period, with her figure gaining prominence among Romani pilgrims by the , as documented in local records from around 1438, reflecting adaptations of Christian lore to Romani cultural contexts. This development underscores her role as a post-biblical saint linked to apostolic-era events circa 42 AD, explicitly distinct from the biblical , wife of Abraham, as a separate entity in hagiographic traditions. The etymological component "la Kali" in her Romani title suggests cultural ties to the Hindu goddess , indicative of the Romani people's Indian origins and syncretic spiritual heritage.

Legends and Accounts

Connections to the Three Marys

Saint Sarah's legendary connections to —typically identified as Mary Salome (mother of apostles James and John), Mary Jacobe (mother of apostles and Jude), and —stem from early Christian apocryphal traditions depicting their flight from persecution in around 42 AD following the death of . In these accounts, Sarah is portrayed as an Egyptian servant or devoted companion to the group, often specified as the maid of Mary Jacobe, providing practical support such as collecting alms during their hardships. The portrayal of Sarah as a dark-skinned woman from Upper Egypt originates in medieval hagiographic expansions of apocryphal narratives, emphasizing her role in aiding the holy women amid exile and symbolizing the faith of marginalized outsiders within the Christian story. While the foundational legend of the Three Marys' journey appears in 13th-century texts like Jacobus de Voragine's Golden Legend, which mentions a servant named Marcelle but not Sarah, her explicit inclusion as the Egyptian servant or aide emerges in 16th-century Provençal folklore, notably Vincent Philippon's 1521 manuscript The Legend of the Saintes-Maries. Accounts consistently depict Sarah as a non-apostolic figure whose devotion underscores themes of and service, with variations occasionally linking her to the household of Lazarus or emphasizing her charitable acts toward the persecuted Marys. In some traditions, she is named the Egyptian to highlight her origins and faithful assistance.

The Voyage to

According to longstanding legend, in 42 AD, amid the early following Jesus's death, Saint Sarah served as the Egyptian handmaiden to one of —Mary Jacobe, Mary Salome, and —and accompanied them on a perilous sea voyage from or to the shores of southern . Set adrift in a rudderless without sails or oars, the group relied entirely on divine guidance to reach the site that would become known as in the region. The voyage is portrayed as profoundly miraculous, with the fragile vessel surviving Mediterranean storms and navigating unerringly to safety through God's intervention alone, highlighting Sarah's as a catalyst for their deliverance. In one variant of the tale, Sarah, upon seeing the Marys' boat struggling to reach shore amid rough seas, spreads her upon the water to form an improvised , invoking that allows them to land safely. An alternative account depicts Sarah not as a traveler on the but as a local woman in who encounters and welcomes the exhausted Marys upon their arrival, offering shelter and support in their new home. This version emphasizes her role as a bridge between the arriving saints and the landscape. The story's earliest detailed written record appears in Vincent Philippon's The Legend of the Saintes-Maries (1521), which drew upon preexisting local oral to formalize the narrative. Over time, the legend was integrated into Romani traditions, where Sarah's humble origins resonated deeply, transforming her into a figure of communal devotion. Symbolically, the rudderless boat serves as a potent motif of unwavering divine protection amid , echoing exodus themes prevalent in Christian and underscoring themes of faith-guided migration in folkloric storytelling.

Veneration and Pilgrimage

Primary Site and Practices

The primary site of veneration for Saint Sarah is the Church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Mer in , , a Romanesque fortified structure originally built in the 9th century to defend against invasions. The church's , constructed in 1448, houses a wooden of Saint Sarah, often adorned with donated gowns and capes from pilgrims, serving as the focal point for devotion and prayer. This provides a dedicated space linking the figure to her legendary role in the voyage to , while the church's main altar holds relics of the associated , reinforcing the site's historical and spiritual significance for broader Catholic . Core practices center on the annual feast day observed on , which includes solemn masses, blessings of the , and communal prayers within the church and . The highlight is a in which the is carried from the through the town to the , where it is immersed or held aloft, symbolizing Saint Sarah's arrival by boat as recounted in tradition; this ritual draws thousands of participants annually and concludes with a return to the church for further veneration. The pilgrimage tradition at the site traces to , initially focused on the relics of , with devotion to Saint Sarah developing later and gaining formal local church tolerance in the early amid efforts to integrate popular practices. By the early , the observances were further organized, including the standardization of the sea procession in 1935, while the church's architecture—featuring defensive walls and a panoramic rooftop view—continues to attract non-local Catholic visitors seeking historical and devotional connections to early Christian legends in .

Romani Devotion and Syncretism

Saint Sarah, known among the Romani as Sara-la-Kali or "Sara the Black," serves as the of the within , embodying protection for the marginalized, displaced, and vulnerable, particularly pregnant women and children. Her reflects the Romani's historical experiences of migration and , with intensifying as they adopted her during their arrival in Europe in the mid-15th century. The annual feast on May 24 attracts thousands of Romani pilgrims to in , where the devotion has been a cultural gathering since its formalization in the under the influence of advocate Marquis Folco de Baroncelli-Javon. Romani devotional practices center on vibrant, community-led rituals that emphasize personal connection and communal joy. During the pilgrimage, participants organize processions featuring music from guitars and accordions, traditional dances, and offerings of flowers, candles, and personal items placed at her 's feet. The wooden of Sara-la-Kali, depicting her as dark-skinned and dressed in colorful robes, glittering tiaras, and beaded attire renewed annually by Romani women, is carried from the church crypt to the sea for immersion in a symbolic purification rite. Pilgrims kiss the , touch its cheeks and feet while murmuring private prayers, and make personal vows seeking her for healings, protection from misfortune, and family well-being, with many attributing recoveries from illness to her aid. This devotion exhibits profound , merging Catholic —rooted in legends of Sara as a servant accompanying to —with Romani Indo-European heritage, particularly parallels to the Hindu goddess as a fierce, black-skinned protector associated with water rituals and feminine power. The blending emerged as Romani communities migrated from through starting in the , adapting local to preserve ancestral elements like sea immersions evoking Kali's watery domains and maternal strength. Sara-la-Kali thus functions as a "syncretic blend of the Virgin Mary and ancient Mother Goddesses," allowing Romani to navigate Christian dominance while honoring their origins. Within Romani communities, Sara-la-Kali symbolizes resilience, identity, and unity amid and , fostering through annual gatherings that reinforce and inspire . Her empowers women as custodians of , dressing the and leading rituals, while serving as a of hope for over 12 million Roma worldwide facing ongoing marginalization.

Cultural Impact and Scholarship

Depictions in Art and Media

Saint Sarah, also known as Sara-la-Kali, has been depicted in historical art primarily through sculptures and icons associated with her veneration site in , . The most prominent representation is the wooden housed in the of the Church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Mer, portraying her as a dark-skinned figure dressed in elaborate robes, often renewed with vibrant fabrics donated by pilgrims. This traditional embodies her as a Black Madonna-like icon, emphasizing her protective role and syncretic identity. Later icons from the onward occasionally show her alongside in scenes of their legendary sea voyage to , rendered in styles with simple lines and symbolic elements like waves or a to signify arrival by boat. Her iconography typically includes attributes such as a boat or rudder, referencing the maritime legend of her journey; a beggar's staff, symbolizing and pilgrimage; or regal attire marking her as a queenly protector of the displaced. These motifs appear in Provençal paintings and sculptures from the 19th century onward, where she is often shown in flowing robes with a serene, maternal expression, blending Christian saintly imagery with Romani cultural elements. Influences from local traditions highlight her dark complexion and elaborate dress, evolving from wooden carvings to more ornate figures in church settings. In modern media, Saint Sarah features prominently in films exploring Romani heritage, such as Tony Gatlif's 1993 documentary (Safe Journey), which recreates the annual pilgrimage procession carrying her statue to the sea, capturing the ritual's communal fervor. She appears in literature and music tied to gypsy lore, including Ronald Lee's writings on Romani spirituality, where she is invoked in debla songs as a divine feminine figure, with refrains praising her as "Deblica Baré" (). Books on Romani culture, such as those by in Bury Me Standing (1995), reference her as a symbol of resilience and hidden goddess worship. Popular culture representations include festival imagery from the annual Romani pilgrimage in , where photographs and videos depict her statue adorned with flowers and carried by crowds amid and music. Souvenirs like miniature statues, embroidered cloths, and candles bearing her likeness are common at the site, while tattoos of her image—often stylized with boats, staffs, or starry backgrounds—serve as personal talismans among devotees. Occasional esoteric links appear in contexts, portraying her as a symbol of feminine power and migration in spiritual art and jewelry. Modern artworks, such as Finnish-Roma artist Kiba Lumberg's Black Saara (2016), reimagine her as a contemporary Romani woman embracing global unity, exhibited in venues like the MuCEM museum in .

Academic Debates and Controversies

Scholars have long debated the of , also known as Sara la , noting a conspicuous absence of documented prior to the . The earliest references to her veneration appear in and church records from the late medieval period, with the first written account emerging in the 16th-century chronicle La Légende des Saintes-Maries, which portrays her as a servant accompanying to . Historians such as Ronald Lee, a prominent Romani scholar, argue that her figure likely represents a folkloric construct, amalgamating elements of local saints with Romani oral traditions and migratory myths to foster community identity amid . This perspective aligns with broader Romani , as articulated by , who views Sara la not as a historical individual but as a symbolic protectress embodying resilience and , devoid of verifiable biographical details from antiquity. Academic analysis of highlights Sara la Kali's role as a bridge between Romani heritage and European , particularly through parallels to Indian worship carried via Romani migration from the around the . Linguists and anthropologists trace her epithet "la Kali" (the Black One) to the Hindu deity , a fierce associated with time, destruction, and protection, suggesting an etymological and iconographic continuity adapted to Christian contexts. Oleszkiewicz-Peralba, in her study of Black Madonnas, posits that Sara la Kali embodies this fusion, blending Kali's attributes of empowerment and maternal ferocity with Catholic Marian devotion, as evidenced in rituals involving water immersion akin to Hindu festivals. Critiques within further examine divergences between Catholic folk traditions, which tolerate her uncanonized status in , and Eastern Orthodox narratives, where her story lacks integration, potentially reflecting Romani adaptations to Western rather than Byzantine influences during their European dispersal. Controversies surrounding Sara la Kali intensified with fringe interpretations in Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln's 1982 book Holy Blood, Holy Grail, which speculated—without historical basis—that she was the daughter of and , fleeing to to preserve a sacred bloodline. This theory, echoed in popular media like Dan Brown's , has been unequivocally rejected by historians as pseudohistorical fabrication, relying on forged documents from the hoaxer and ignoring the absence of any early Christian texts supporting such a lineage. Local Provençal authorities and Romani communities have similarly dismissed these claims, emphasizing her cultural rather than Christological significance, while noting a scholarly gap in non-Romani European analyses that often overlook her as mere rather than a vital ethnic symbol. Persistent research gaps underscore the need for deeper investigation into Sara la Kali's veneration. Global variations in Romani practices remain underexplored, with studies predominantly focused on the French pilgrimage site of Les , neglecting diverse interpretations among diaspora communities in , the , and beyond. Archaeological efforts to link her to ancient (the Roman name for the region) have yielded no concrete ties, highlighting a methodological void in connecting legendary voyages to material evidence from . Furthermore, her evolving role in 21st-century Romani —particularly in feminist and anti-discrimination movements, including ongoing annual pilgrimages drawing thousands as of 2025—calls for interdisciplinary approaches to examine how syncretic figures like Sara la Kali sustain cultural resistance amid ongoing marginalization.

References

  1. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/saint-sara-la-kali-romani-pilgrimage-camargue-france
  2. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1070289X.2022.2061809
  3. https://www.jstor.org/stable/840854
  4. https://www.midi-france.info/030701a_st_sara.htm
  5. https://www.interfaithmary.net/black-madonna-index/les-saintes-maries-de-la-mer
  6. https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/goldenlegend/GoldenLegend-Volume4.asp
  7. https://www.reference.com/world-view/st-sarah-96377126af210933
  8. https://www.journeytothegoddess.voyage/goddess-blog/gypsy-festival-of-les-maries
  9. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/church-of-the-saintes-maries-de-la-mer
  10. https://www.saintesmaries.com/en/directory/eglise-des-stes-maries-de-la-mer
  11. https://www.catholicsandcultures.org/feasts-holy-days/stes-maries-and-ste-sara-france
  12. https://kopachi.com/articles/the-romani-goddess-kali-sara-ronald-lee/
  13. https://www.travelfranceonline.com/saintes-maries-de-la-mer-legend/
  14. https://arca.org.ua/en/posts/svyata-sara-bozha-mfchna-zahisnitsya-romskogo-narodu-yakj-poklonyayutsya-romi-svtu/
  15. https://phralipen.hr/en/2023/02/20/revisiting-goddess-sara-la-kali-of-roma-community/
  16. https://vindevie.me/2024/06/09/the-syncretic-saint-sarah-the-black-sara-la-kali-protector-of-the-roma/
  17. https://seldomscene.ca/latcho-drom-1993/
  18. https://www.mucem.org/programme/exposition-et-temps-forts/barvalo
  19. https://gypsyrepresent.wordpress.com/2014/05/24/today-roma-honor-the-goddesssaint-kali-sara/
  20. https://www.unmpress.com/9780826341037/the-black-madonna-in-latin-america-and-europe/
  21. https://www.cesnur.org/2006/mi_brown_01_eng.htm
  22. https://www.webtruth.org/cultural-issues/the-davinci-code-a-critique/
  23. https://www.oocities.org/romani_life_society/indexpics/HistoryOrigins.pdf
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