In the previous lesson, we got to understand that Veronica is a translation from Latin, which means the True Image in reference to the veil. Likewise, the name is identified with the woman who wiped the face of Jesus and the woman who was cured of hemorrhage.
According to Church tradition, Veronica was moved with sympathy when she saw Jesus carrying his cross to Golgotha and gave him her veil that he might wipe his forehead. Jesus accepted the offering, held it to his face, and then handed it back to her—the image of his face miraculously impressed upon it. This piece of cloth became known as the Veil of Veronica and was kept inside the old St. Peter's Basilica built by the Emperor Constantine.
A reliable recording of the veil only begins in 1199 when two pilgrims named Gerald de Barri (Giraldus Cambrensis) and Gervase of Tilbury made two accounts at different times of a visit to Rome that made direct reference to the existence of the Veil.
Professor Donato Vittori of the University of Bari and Professor Giulio Fanti of the University of Padua have discovered, through microscopic examinations, that there is no trace of color or paint at all on the entire cloth. Only in the black pupils of both eyes does there appear to be a slight scorching of the threads, as if they had been heated.
In 1207, the cloth became more prominent when it was publicly paraded and displayed by Pope Innocent III in 1297, who also granted indulgences to anyone praying before it. This parade, between St Peter's and The Santo Spirito Hospital, became an annual event and on one such occasion in 1300 Pope Boniface VIII, was inspired to proclaim the first Jubilee in 1300. During this Jubilee, the Veil was publicly displayed and became one of the "Mirabilia Urbis" ("wonders of the City") for the pilgrims who visited Rome. For the next two hundred years, the Veil was regarded as the most precious of all Christian relics.
Many artists of the time created reproductions of the Veil, but in 1616, Pope Paul V prohibited the manufacture of copies of Veronica's Veil unless made by a canon of Saint Peter's Basilica . In 1629, Pope Urban VIII not only prohibited reproductions of Veronica's Veil from being made, but also ordered the destruction of all existing copies. His edict declared that anyone who had access to a copy must bring it to the Vatican, under penalty of excommunication.
There are two main traditions for the iconography of the face depicted on the veil. One tradition (Type I), common in Italian art, shows the face of Christ as full-bearded, in pain, scourged and perhaps crowned with thorns. Another (Type II), common in Russian and Spanish art, shows Christ's face more often in repose, hair extending to shoulder length and a bifurcated beard, often surrounded by a halo quartered in a cross.
Some of them are: The Vatican Veronica,The Holy Face of Vienna, The Holy Face of Alicante, The Holy Face of Jaén, Holy Face of Genoa, Holy Face of S. Silvestro and The Manoppello Image.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in 2006, visited Manoppello in order to view this piece in person. He made reference to the symbolic and ongoing search all Christians should make in relationship to their savior, Jesus Christ. He concluded by saying "Searching for the face of Christ must be the desire of all Christians."
“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, LORD, do I seek.
Psalm 27:8 (NRSV)
To be continued....
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