The "Veronica" Legend is depicted in this halftone print (approximately 7 x 10", image area about 47/8 x 7"). From the fourteenth century were supposedly miraculous--but actually painted--portraits of Christ. They were known as vera icona (Latin for "true images"), a term that seems to have been corrupted to "veronica" and so gave rise to the pious legend: supposedly Veronica was a woman from Jerusalem who was so moved by pity at witnessing Jesus struggling with his cross toward Golgotha that she wiped his face with her veil (or kerchief).

The Veronica tradition actually derives from an earlier one dating to the fourth century, that Jesus had once sent a miraculous self-portrait to King Abgar of Edessa. Some even attempt to equate this image of Edessa with the Shroud of Turin, although the former was a face-only portrait of the living Jesus, and the latter a front-and-back body image of the crucified Christ.

More Christianity exhibits:

Devotional Items	Fatima	Lourdes Souveneirs	Miracle Statues
Prayer Cloth	Shroud of Turin	Shroud of Turin Medal	Stigmatics
The Clearwater Virgin	Toronto Weeping Icon	Veronica's Veil	Veronica's Veil Icon
Weeping Madonna