# Matka Boska Częstochowska



## girlmeinteil

What is the meaning of that sentence? is it Polish?

Thanks


----------



## JakubikF

Matka Boska Częstochowska - The Virgin Mary of Częstochowa.


----------



## girlmeinteil

thanks so much


----------



## kknd

It's from Old or Middle Polish. It's treated somewhat as set phrase at the moment, now it would sound as _Matka Boga z Częstochowy_.


----------



## robin74

Our Lady of Częstochowa.
Literally it means God's Mother of Częstochowa.
And I don't really see anything that would be old-fashioned or Middle Polish in the phrase. Each word in it is still used in modern Polish.


----------



## BezierCurve

> Literally it means God's Mother of Częstochowa.


Literally "Boska" would be "Divine".


----------



## kknd

It's not the same in my opinion as divine implies that She was a Goddess. Or maybe I'm wrong...


----------



## BezierCurve

> It's not the same in my opinion as divine implies that She was a Goddess. Or maybe I'm wrong...


True, but that was the literal translation.


----------



## mcibor

kknd said:


> now it would sound as _Matka Boga z Częstochowy_.



This phrase is ambiguous as it might mean, that the God is from Częstochowa
moreover neither God nor his Mother come from Częstochowa, therefore you shouldn't use z Częstochowy, as in Wacław z Szamotuł or Jurand ze Spychowa


----------



## kknd

So probably it will be better _Częstochowska Matka Boga_ in sense of _Matka Boga (szczególnie) czczona w Częstochowie_ (especially worshipped in Częstochowa).


----------



## NotNow

kknd said:


> So probably it will be better _Częstochowska Matka Boga_ in sense of _Matka Boga (szczególnie) czczona w Częstochowie_ (especially worshipped in Częstochowa).


 
_Czczona_ should be translated as_ honored_ in this context because worship is reserved for God alone.  There's a big difference in English between honor and worship.


----------



## Ptosio

This expresion ("Matko Boska Częstochowska!") is generaly used in a similar way to the English "jeeez..." or "gosh".

"Matko Boska Częstochowska! Co on sobie wyobraża? Na głowę upadł, czy co?"


----------



## kknd

I think this expression has other counterpart (maybe someone knows it?) _Jeez_ is probably taken from _Jesus_ and _Gosh_ from _God_ (similar 'words' emerged in Polish and those would be their closer translations).


----------



## BezierCurve

Yes, as an example I remember "Lawdy Mama", heard in a few songs, never in everyday speech though. Also "Sweet Mother Of God", popular in Ireland (at least some time ago).


----------



## kknd

Co ciekawe, pasuje tutaj wykrzyknienie: _O matko!_ (a raczej _O Matko!_), gdyż wg mnie najprawdopodobniej pochodzi ono od wezwania Matki Boga, nie zaś własnej, choć dziś większość ludzi powiedziałaby, że chodzi o tę drugą.


----------



## Christoforo

kknd said:


> It's not the same in my opinion as divine implies that She was a Goddess. Or maybe I'm wrong...


 Matka Boska = God's mother (From Theothokos in church Greek).


----------



## majlo

BezierCurve said:


> Literally "Boska" would be "Divine".


"God's Mother of Częstochowa" is also literal, and, as noted, better since "divine" is ambiguous because it might refer to a deity. "God's" dispels any ambiguities.


----------

