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rom Jerusalem
to Rome
(The various stages of the
Holy Face before the arrival in Rome)
di
P. Heinrich Pfeiffer
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As the Face of the
Holy Shroud can be perfectly superimposed to the Holy Face of
Manoppello, we must admit that the two Images formed at the same
time.
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In
fact, we can understand the Image of the Holy Shroud, showing
the body of a man crucified and dead according to the narration
of Gospel, only by admitting its formation while the body was in
the tomb. Therefore, also the Holy Face of Manoppello formed in
the tomb of Jesus in Jerusalem when, very probably, the napkin
was put hastily on the Shroud. |
Constantinople in the XV
century
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About the very thin
sudarium showing the very fine image, kept nowadays in the
sanctuary of Manoppello, found in the by then empty tomb in that
Easter morning, we can express two hypotheses: the first
supposes it was owned nearly by right by the Virgin Mary who
maybe carried it , so we can imagine. Then the Holy Face maybe
was owned by the apostle John so it was in Ephesus first, than
somewhere in Asia minor. The second hypothesis supposes it
remained together with the Shroud and separated long after as I
opined in my book "Das echte Christusbild" written in
1991.
Following this second supposition, as in Cedreno’s writings,
in A.D. 574 an "acheiropoietos" icon was transferred
from Camulia in Cappadocia to Constantinople. It
is an image so similar that it is in all probability the same
Veil kept nowadays in the sanctuary of Abruzzi.
It remained in Constantinople till 705 when it disappeared from
the capital of the empire. It is the first thing defined "acheiropoietos"
i.e. not human hand manufactured.
Teofilatto Simocatta in a praise-poetry written to celebrate the
victory of the Byzantine troops in the battle near the river
Arzamon (586) obtained thanks to the presence of the Image,
described it: "not painted, not woven, but made with divine
art". Giorgio Piside defined it: "prototype written by
God". Even after the disappearance of the Image, Teofane
(758-818) declared that: "no human hand could have drawn
this Image, but only the creative and everything-forming Word
produced the shape" of this divine-human figure.
All these descriptions of Byzantine poets and historiographers
can be justified only thanks to the presence of the Holy Face
which, at the first sight, seems to be a painting but, if we
examine it better, we must reject this hypothesis immediately as
well as that one referring to the technique of weaving. So we
understand the description of the Byzantine poets: "not
painted, not woven".
None of the well-known techniques to realize a work of art was
used for this Image entirely transparent and disappearing almost
completely against the light. The Image of Camulia, the first
"acheiropoietos", not only disappeared in
Constantinople, but also maybe started by sea towards Rome, the
old capital of the empire. In Constantinople they said that
patriarch German had committed to the waves of the sea, at the
beginning of the iconoclasm, this Image which, consequently
arrived in Rome in the times of Pope Gregory II.
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Sancta Sanctorum Chapel
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In
Rome they said that, when longobard king Aistulfo besieged the
city in A.D. 753 ,Pope Stephen II led in a religious procession
an "acheropsita" i.e. the Holy Face of the chapel
"Sancta Sanctorum" in the papal Lateran Palace. On the
Face of this icon was placed a linen cloth with Jesus Christ’s
Face. The most reliable hypothesis is that the first Veil
superimposed was precisely the Holy Face kept nowadays at
Manoppello. |
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The best way to
hide a Veil with an image was to place it on an icon so the
Byzantine emperor could never find out the disappearance of his
"acheiropoietos" which could be venerated in the papal
liturgy. When the Byzantine emperors began little by little to
lose their powers and influence over Rome, the Veil could be
separated from the icon, replaced with a painted veil and
transferred to the chapel in St. Peter’s, got built by Pope
John VII not long after the disappearance of the Image of
Camulia in Constantinople.
The first Pope not compelled to fear the powers of the Byzantine
emperor was Innocent III who, for the first time, promoted the
cult and the veneration for the Veil with the Image of Christ
and this time the Veil was named Veronica (vera icona – true
icon) while the name Holy Face remained for the Lateran Icon.
This is the most probable sacred history of the Holy Face of
Manoppello |
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The ancient St. Peter's Basilica
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according to our knowledge of
the documents and the "acheropite " images.
A point must be settled: how and when the funeral cloths (the Holy Shroud
and the Holy Face) were separated. As Mandilion of Edessa the Shroud covered
its own rout towards Constantinople in A.D. 944 disappearing temporarily
during the latin crusade of the year 1204 reappearing long after in Lirey
around the middle of the 14th century. |
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Regarding the Holy
Face we tried to delineate its course: Jerusalem – Ephesus –
Camulia of Cappadocia – Constantinople – Rome (chapel Sacta
Sanctorum of the lateran palace, chapel of the Veronica in St.
Peter’s in the Vatican State; at last the Holy Face arrived at
Manoppello and on the way the image was called differently in
our opinion: Image acheiropoietos of Camulia, "prototypos",
"acheropsita", Holy Face of the Sancta Santorum
chapel, Veronica and, finally, again Holy Face at Manoppello.
This route is a well – grounded supposition; but the Holy Face
of Manoppello is certainly the same roman Veronica, Our Lord’s
Face. |
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