Our Lady of Perpetual Help

The miraculous image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a common picture of grace and a world-renowned Marie representation. The original from the 14th century, probably comes from the island of Crete ( Cretan school). The icon measures 41.5 x 53 cm and is painted on walnut. After changing locations it was in 1867 by Pope Pius IX. entrusted to the Redemptorist for its Roman church of Sant ' Alfonso, where it has since adorns the high altar. The Redemptorists contributed by their national missionary activity crucial to the spread of the image.

Description

The Mother of God is depicted on a gold background. She wears a red bottom and a dark blue shiny outer garment with a star on the head veil; this surrounds the halo. Greek abbreviations on both sides characterize it as " Mother of God". On her left arm she wears the waitresses dressed in green and gold baby Jesus. The head of the child is surrounded with a cross nimbus, stands next to the abbreviated name "Jesus Christ".

The child is held by the left hand of the mother and takes both hands to her right. His head is turned away, however, and the view goes over to the cross, bearing the Archangel Gabriel. As shown by a movement vorahnenden scaring has solved the sandal of the foot and falls to the ground.

On both sides of Marie head hovering angels bearing the sufferings of Christ tools in veiled hands. They are also characterized by Greek letters as the Archangels Michael and Gabriel.

Dissemination

The statue was painted over and over again in different colors and different sizes and is one of the most common Marie representations. A known copy was created by the Bavarian Redemptorist Max Schmalzl 1872 as a ceiling painting in the monastery chapel Vilsbiburg.

In Germany this miraculous image was made known, inter alia, by Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler, who brought it from the First Vatican Council in Rome and had erected as a copy on his grave in Mainz.