Acheiropoieta or Miraculously-Made Images

Overview

Even though there was a relatively convincing argument that painting pictures of Jesus Christ was okay, people have often still been a little nervous about it. As such, images of Jesus or Mary that seem to be miraculous in origin have been immensely popular. Once there is a miraculous image, painted “copies” of that image can also be made comfortably. Paintings of Saint Luke Painting (or Statue) of the Virgin Mary and Child Jesus, The Mandylion of King Abgar of Edessa, Veronica’s Veil, The Shroud of Turin, and The Image of the Virgin of Guadalupe are considered to fall into this category.

Historians and scientists have offered credible arguments that all of these were probably, in fact, made by human painters, not miraculously. Many contemporary viewers are thus inclined to treat the whole tradition with indulgent skepticism, as one would the stories of a child. This however fails to honor the power of aesthetic experience. If an object is approached with faith, then it can inspire action. The faithful trust that the Holy Spirit uses these images as tools for inspiring groups and individuals. The faithful do not care about the mechanism of that inspiration or the historical and scientific analyses of the objects themselves. They see the results of the inspiration, and that is enough to affirm that the Holy Spirit is still using the image to inspire.

Explore these links to dive into these images in more detail:

• Saint Luke’s Painting (or Statue) of the Virgin Mary and Child Jesus
• The Mandylion or Cloth of King Abgar of Edessa
• Veronica’s Veil
• The Image of the Virgin of Guadalupe