A wonderful statue of the black Madonna. It is in very good condition. She is 48 cm tall. According to legend, Mary protected the city of Halle when it was besieged by Philip of Cleves in 1489, by catching the cannon balls in her cloak. The cannon balls were placed in a niche in the basilica, where one can still see them. [2] It is not known when this legend originated. The oldest published version dates back more than three hundred years after the siege: the NEW LIEDEKEN to praise Our Lady of Halle, which is kept in the university library of Ghent, cannot be printed before 1816. It was only since the second half of the nineteenth century that cannon balls are also depicted on pilgrimage banners. [1]