Feature Articles – The Veil of Manoppello
In the Italian town of Manoppello rests one of the most enigmatic Christian relics: the Veil of Veronica, where an image of Christ has been created on the finest and costliest material, mussel silk. No-one knows how the relic or the image came into existence.
by Philip Coppens
In the tiny hilltop town of Manoppello, just over two hours east of Rome, is one of the most enigmatic relics of Christianity: the Holy Face, or Veil, of Manoppello. Even though the veil is in the heartland of Italy, its rising fame is very much a German affair, because of the work of a German sister, a German journalist and a German Pope. The Veil has risen in importance and notoriety with the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI. His visit to Manoppello on September 1, 2006 to see the relic was the first self-selected visit of his papacy, when he also bestowed the title of Minor Basilica upon the church.
The Veil of Manoppello is an enigmatic depiction of a face of what appears to be Jesus Christ on mussel silk. Mussel silk, also known as byssus or sea silk, is woven from the fibers secreted by mussels. It is one of the finest threads in existence and the costliest fabric in the ancient world. It was on sale in Alexandria and Antioch and anyone buying it, was a wealthy person. The fabric is so thin that one can actually see through the veil when a light source – like a window – is placed behind it; something anyone visiting the church in Manoppello will experience.
It is technically impossible to paint on mussel silk, which means that the image of Christ on the fabric cannot be a painting. In fact, how the image came about is a total mystery. Though mussel silk can be dyed, the process is complex and cannot at all result in the image of the Veil. As a result, there is no known technique or method that can account as to how the image came in existence. It is a true miracle – whether it were to be the face of Jesus or anyone else.
The German Trapist nun Sister Blandina Paschalis Schlömer learned about the veil in 1965 in a book and has remained obsessed with the image ever since. Though she had sworn an oath of silence, her superiors eventually released her from this obligation as it was clear that Blandina’s mission was to spread knowledge about this important relic. Blandina realized that the image of the Turin Shroud and the Veil matched perfectly and she proved this by creating a set of transparent overlays. This is absolutely remarkable, of course and goes a long way into establishing that the man on the Veil is indeed Jesus Christ.
Apart from dimensions, the two images share other characteristics: the right cheek is swollen; the nose is clearly broken; part of the beard is torn out and there are wounds on the forehead. The man has clearly been beaten if not tortured, conform to what we know had happened to Jesus prior to his death. There is nevertheless a remarkable difference: the eyes on the Veil are open; the eyes on the Shroud are closed. It appears that one is the image of a living Christ, the other of a dead Christ.
In theory, the image of the Veil could therefore have been “taken” at any moment in Jesus’ life, were it not for the injuries, which suggest that the Veil was created on Good Friday. As there is only one tradition of a miraculous image that occurred that day, it is no doubt the reason why the Veil of Manoppello has become identified with the Veil of Veronica.
Veronica was standing on the Via Dolorosa and when she saw Jesus passing, she handed a piece of cloth to him, to wipe his face. It is said that afterwards, a miraculous image was left on the cloth. This Veil of Veronica, however, is officially inside St Peter’s Basilica, under lock and key, seen by few. Many centuries ago, seeing the Veil of Veronica was actually one of the main reasons Christians undertook a pilgrimage to Rome and various public displays of the image occurred, the latest in 1601. Interestingly, Pope Urban VIII forbade copies of the Veronica to be made on May 29, 1628, on threat of excommunication. Why this edict was created, remains one of the bigger mysteries as there is no apparent reason for this interdiction – nor is it known why after 1601 the Veil no longer went on public display. Remarkably, the period 1601 and 1628 is precisely the timeframe in which the Veil appeared in Manopello – coincidence? Unlikely. The history of the Manoppello relic is documented since the middle of the 17th century, when the object went on public display in this little town. But there is a legend that claims that it was a Sunday afternoon in 1506 when an angel brought the Veil here. A pilgrim, in front of the town’s church of Saint Nicholas of Bari, asked Doctor Giaccomantonio Leonelli to come into the church with him. The good doctor was handed a bundle, inviting him to care for it. Inside was found the Veil.
The object was passed down in the Leonelli family, but in 1608, there was a dispute amongst the various descendants. Pancrazio Petruzzi took possession of the relic by force. But when he was thrown in prison in Chieti (on unknown charges ), his wife, Marzia Leonelli, sold the cloth to buy his freedom; the cloth ended up in the hands of Donantonino De Fabritiis, who restored it and donated it to the Capuchin monks of Manoppello in 1638, where it has been displayed since 1646. For centuries, it was displayed in a darkish side chapel, currently located next to the shop. In 1923, the Veil was placed above the altar, where visitors can now climb towards the display cabinet and come face to face with the back of the veil. It is precisely what Pope Benedict did in 2006.
The object therefore came to Manoppello by at least 1646, likely 1608, and potentially as early as 1506. But what are the origins of this Veil? Can it be the Veil of Veronica? German journalist Paul Badde has noticed that inside the Vatican Museums is an old display case that once held the Veil of Veronica. The case is broken, suggestive of violence – theft? The Veil of Veronica in St Peter’s might not currently be on display, but its dimensions are known; it is quite substantially larger than the Veil of Manoppello. But it might come as a shock to learn that the display case in the Museum is too small for the Roman Veil of Veronica – but has the exact dimensions as the Veil of Manopello! This cannot be a coincidence. And the damage to the case might be linked with the moment when the Veil was taken from Rome to Manoppello. It would suggest that what is on display in Manoppello is indeed the Veil of Veronica.
Though all indications are that the Veil was moved between 1602 and 1608, there are no historical records that speak of an occasion where this veil could have been stolen – implying there was an immediate and very successful cover-up. Some have proposed that the theft occurred almost a century before, in May 1527, when Rome was sacked and plundered. There are stories that the Veil of Veronica was amongst the relics taken, but there is no mention of the relic being returned. It is merely assumed it was returned, as the church afterwards seemed to have it, and put it on public display until 1601. Though the 1527 date is exciting, the evidence currently suggests 1602 and 1608 as the likelier timeframe, even though there is an absence of evidence as to how the relic left Rome. If the Veil of Manoppello is the Veil of Veronica, then we can add several centuries to its known history. The relic first resided in Jerusalem and became known as the Holy Face of Camulia, a town in modern Turkey. In 574 AD, the Veil was taken to Constantinople, on orders of Emperor Justinian II. At the beginning of the 8th century, Callinico I, the Patriarch of Constantinople, sent the Veil to the Pope in Rome for safekeeping. It has remained in Rome ever since – unless, of course, it went to Manoppello. However, it would only be in 1143 that the object became referred to as the Veil of Veronica. And it would only be in 1208 that Pope Innocent II began to carry the Veil in public procession. But it seems clear that this object is indeed the Veil of Manoppello. Philip II, King of France, visited Rome for the Third Crusade and wrote that Pope Celestine III held “the linen cloth which was placed on Christ’s Face, the imprint of which can be clearly seen today as if it were the very Face of Christ” in front of him.
There is, however, one final question to be asked. If the Veil of Manoppello is the Veil of Veronica, can it be “the” Veil of Veronica, mentioned in the Bible? The answer seems to be no. For one, it is unlikely that anyone would give a veil of mussel silk to Jesus to wipe his face with. The material is simply not suited for this. Equally, one would expect Jesus to wipe his face with it, leaving an imprint of blood and sweat, but not a miraculous image, which clearly shows Jesus did not wipe his face with this cloth but would have somehow miraculously imprinted his image onto it. In short, the miraculous image of the Veil of Veronica cannot originate with Veronica, but must have originated differently on Good Friday. Something on Good Friday created this miracle. But what? There are no clear answers, as a result of which the Veil became shoehorned into the Gospels and came to be known as the Veil of Veronica. But there are hints as to the true origins of this artifact. For example, both Paul Badde and Sister Blandina have referred to this object as “The Veil of the Magdalene”. Interestingly, the islands where the mussel silk comes from are the Magdalene islands, just off the coast of Sardinia. Coincidence, or not? Apocryphal documents have shown that Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ wife and for her to possess a miraculous image of her husband is not out of the ordinary. The question, however, remains as to how his face was somehow transposed on this most delicate of material. Currently, there is no scientific explanation for it.