Posted on 09/01/2006 10:19:04 AM PDT by NYer
Pope Benedict XVI on Friday prayed at a sanctuary in this village in central Italy that holds a veil some Christians believe was used to wipe blood and sweat from Jesus' face on his way to his crucifixion and bears his image on the cloth.
It was the first time that a pontiff has made a pilgrimage to the little-known, 17th-century sanctuary of Manoppello. Benedict arrived by helicopter and was greeted by a few thousand pilgrims waving flags with the Vatican's white and yellow colors, and carrying banners that read, "Hurrah for the pope," and "Benedict, Benedict."
Those welcoming the pontiff included Bishop Bruno Forte, a friend and theologian. Forte is bishop in the nearby town of Chieti.
The pontiff entered the sanctuary and prayed before the altar for about five minutes, then went behind it and prayed before the relic, which is known as the "Holy Face" and the "Veil of Veronica."
The veil is not as famous as the Holy Shroud of Turin, held to be Christ's burial cloth, but some experts say the images on the two cloths can be perfectly superimposed and that they were formed at the same time. Skeptics say it appears to have been painted.
According to Christian tradition, Veronica was one of the holy women who accompanied Jesus to Calvary. She offered him a veil or cloth to wipe his face, and the image of Christ's face was imprinted on it.
Although the story is not in the Bible, it became one of the most popular in Christian lore.
The name "Veronica" also is a colloquial version of the Latin word "vera," meaning true, and Greek word Icon meaning "image." The "Veil of Veronica" was therefore largely regarded in medieval times as "the true image" of Jesus, preceding the Shroud of Turin.
Benedict did not address the veil's origins, as is usual with the Vatican, which is generally very cautious. But his visit has drawn interest to the image some believe to show the real face of Christ.
"This is the meaning of my visit. So that together we can try to better know the face of our Lord, so that from it we can find strength in love and peace that can show us the path," Benedict said.
The image, measures 6.7 by 9.4 inches, is that of a man with long hair, a sparse beard and a half-open mouth. The face is oval and asymmetric, the color is a light brown.
The veil, kept under glass, is believed to have been in Manoppello since 1506, and the pope's visit was the highlight of yearlong celebrations marking the 500th anniversary of the relic's arrival in this mountainous town about 125 miles east of Rome.
The veil was donated to the sanctuary in 1638, said the rector, the Rev. Carmine Cucinelli. The sanctuary is visited every year by some 250,000 pilgrims, he said. But officials hope that the pope's visit will increase that number.
To many in Manoppello, the visit by Benedict reinforced their beliefs about the veil.
"We've been worshipping the Holy Face for five centuries," said resident Gina Virgilio, a retiree. "The pope's visit has confirmed the veil is authentic."
"This has been a special day. It's been a wonderful, touching, emotional encounter," she said.
Benedict has been spending time at his summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo, a hill town south of Rome. Later Friday, he starts a two-day meeting with his former students on the issue of creationism and evolution.
He is to travel to his native Germany later this month.
Pope Benedict XVI is presented with a painting representing the 'Veronica's Veil' at the Saint Veil monastery in Manoppello, central Italy, September 1, 2006. REUTERS/Max Rossi
A special ping to freepers 'shroudie' and 'swordmaker', both authorities on The Shroud of Turin, to clarify the 'Holy Face' image. Thank you!
I think the face on that veil is ugly.
On the other hand, even a simple drawing can inspire prayerful thought and devotion.
And if it IS an image made from the impress of the sweat and blood of a man who was tortured all night and facing imminent death, one would not expect the coloration to be delicate or the expression beautiful.
Our Lord loved us unto death. That's what is beautiful.
On the other hand, even a simple drawing can inspire prayerful thought and devotion.
And if it IS an image made from the impress of the sweat and blood of a man who was tortured all night and facing imminent death, one would not expect the coloration to be delicate or the expression beautiful.
Our Lord loved us unto death. That's what is beautiful.
I respect your opinion 100% and I admire you for it too. Still I am sorry I don't like that face on that cloth. The eyes are too close together and the lips are too thin and the beard looks scraggly and springy. I see the veil as someone's art work and I don't like it or find it inspiring. I don't like the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe either. She looks weird to me. I wonder if that makes me a bad person?
There's no accounting for taste.
:O>
A special ping to freepers 'shroudie' and 'swordmaker', both authorities on The Shroud of Turin, to clarify the 'Holy Face' image. Thank you!
My opinion... and the peer reviewed research... has not changed. Here are the comments I have made on the Manappelo Veil on past threads:
As to what I think.
First of all, the entire story of a woman named Veronica and her veil are somewhat suspect... the woman's very name means Vera - "True" - Icon - "Image" in a combination of Latin and Greek. While a woman may have offered her veil for Jesus to wipe his face on while carrying his cross on the Via del a Rosa, the likelyhood of her name being "Veronica" is doubtful.
Secondly, the material that the Manoppello image is on is not one that would likely be used for a sweat cloth... it would not absorb anything... or even your average veil. It is an extremely rare and costly cloth, far more costly than silk. It is still the rarest cloth on Earth. The cloth is Byssus, made from the cillia of the pinna nobilis Sea Urchin. As far as we know, there is only one living weaver of Byssal cloth still around. The cloth produced from these filaments can be woven even finer than silk and is extremely light and warm, but attracts moths which eat it. It was said that a pair of women's gloves could fit into half a walnut shell and a pair of stockings in a snuffbox. 2000 years ago it was something that was pretty much reserved for royalty.
Thirdly, most Shroud scholars are of the opinion that the various traditions of the "Veronica" and the "Mandylion" as seperate cloths arise out of the possibility that the shroud, to hide the brutal nature of the assault on Jesus' body, had been kept in a frame folded twice in four or, as it was referred to in many early references, "tetradiplong". When folded, doubled four times end over end, it is possible to have a section of the Shroud that shows only the face exposed.
Fourthly, the image on the cloth at Matoppello is hardly an exact match for the image on the Shroud... there are some distinct differences... for example, where is the mustache?
The differing widths of faces is not as important because the shroud's image is artificially narrowed by artifacting of the bleaching method which resulted in darker Linen bands on each side of the head and the face on the Shroud may be actually wider and rounder than previously thought.
Fifth, the depiction of teeth and eyes in the "veil" is problematic... There is no way they could have been created by contact... and bear an artistic appearence. These may have been added or enhanced by pious, well meaning "restorers" of a later period... or be originals from the artist who may have created the veil. The whites of the eyes are actually whiter than the imageless parts of the transparent cloth...
Lastly, the Manoppello Veil has not been subjected to any kind of scientific examiniation beyond light and ultraviolet photography. Neither of which is sufficient to determine the presence or absence of pigments. I believe the whiteness of the eyes and teeth indicate that pigments are indeed present. I would want to see much more done before making a positive judgement such as this article makes.
Since I had not visited this topic in sometime (like about five years) I decided to go digging. Here is what I have found.
I find I was somewhat wrong in my discussion above... there has been more scientific work done on the Manoppello Veil that I was not aware of... and it proves that it is not as Pfeiffer describes... and in fact probably has identified WHAT it is, HOW it was created, and WHO it is, and WHO did it! Not only that, the work of art that it is was spoken and written about by its creator and its owner contemporary with its creation... along with a description of the work.
Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) was very fond of self portraits and often sent his own to others. Sometime in the early 16th Century, he sent a self portrait to his friend Raphael (1483- 1520) that was painted on a transparent cloth, visible from both sides and was described by Raphael and those who saw it as "miraculous".
"According to Vasari, Dürers self-portrait was painted in watercolour on a canvas so extremely fine that it could be seen from both the front and the back side. It was truly a piece of virtuosity, which beside immortalizing the artists features was clearly intended to show his painting skills."
Wolfram Prinz
Raphael, using the same technique and same Byssus cloth, painted his OWN portrait and sent it to Dürer.
By these and other works the fame of Raphael spread to France and Flanders. Albert Dürer, a remarkable German painter and author of some fine copper engravings, paid him the tribute of his homage and sent him his own portrait, painted in water-colours, on byssus, so fine that it was transparent, without the use of white paint, the white material forming the lights of the picture This appeared marvellous to Raphael, who sent back many drawings of his own which were greatly valued by Albert...Various persons who saw both Dürer's and Raphael's "miraculous" self-portraits described them as being made from either Byssus or Cambric. There is no consistency to the reports of either material.
Giorgio Vasari
Self Portrait of Raffaello Santi (Raphael)
c.1514
Raphael Self Portrait Gift to Dürer
now known as "Veronica's Veil"
C. 1500-1503 (?)
The Veil of Manoppello: work of art or authentic relic?
This is still research in progress but it looks very solid. As an aside, Albrecht Dürer is one of the "suspects" among those who maintain the Shroud of Turin in a "self portrait" by an artist of the period.
Not your fault... pictures of the Manoppello "Veronica's Veil" are extremely hard to find... and are not too well labeled when you do find them. Even the Catholic Exchange that published the article published a picture of the wrong "veil" reliquary.
The Official "Veronica's Veil", kept in St. Peter's Basilica, Rome.
The Manoppello "Veronica's Veil", kept in the Sanctuary of the Holy Face, Manoppello, Italy.
There is a distinct difference. The Manoppello Veil is either the extremely rare Byssus cloth that was generally reserved for royalty 2000 years ago, or Cambric, a 16th Century French cotton that bears a very close resemblance to Byssus, but still a very costly cloth that would likely be used by a wealthy medieval woman to coyly "veil", but not hide, her face, neither of which is likely to be encountered on the Via De la Rosa. On the other hand, The Vatican's Veil appears to be (from those who have observed it closely) plain linen, something you would expect an average woman out shopping to wear to cover her head in Jerusalem 2000 years ago. Which is more likely to be the "true" Veronica's Veil?
My considered opinion is that:
Monkapotamus' side-by-side comparison is good... I just wish we had a better view of the cloth inside the glass.
I agree.
And I don't think it's truly Christ's.
1. I have an extremely hard time believing that an artist of the caliber of Raphael would choose the moment when he is severly beaten up to make a self portrait.
2. Isn’t it strange that Raphael’s wounds are exactly the size, shape and placing as those on the Shroud of Turin.
3. You have your info from Prof. Falcinelli’s report. This report is flawed in that Chiara Vigo never said that the fabric was Cambric, but that it was Byssus.
4. The report was placed on the website of Shroud.com. Perhaps those people don’t want to have something that might take away from their “shine”.
In conclusion, these things can not be proved, and if you WANT to believe soemthing, you will. Inversely, if you DON’T WANT to believe something, you won’t. A round peg will always fit in a square hole if the two can be re-shpaed and forced.
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