This present study was suggested by the project Veronica Route, whose aim is to build an online catalogue of the artistic and literary works concerning the Roman “Veronica”, i.e. the medieval relic preserved in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
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From Copies to an Original: The Contribution of Statistical Methods
by Amanda Murphy, Felicita Mornata, Raffaella Zardoni. Despite the almost infinite number of existing copies, the exact appearance of the medieval veronica– the sudarium kept in Rome imprinted with the face of Christ – is not known. This paper illustrates an attempt to find the ‘true icon’, creating a sort of identikit by means of the statistical processing of 4500 works, with analysis of the concentration of the copies and their characteristics, together with multivariate analysis tools.
Read MoreThe Face of the Other: The Veronica and the Spread of its Cult in Europe
Abstract Issues surrounding the cult of the Veronica, the cloth imprinted with the face of Christ, have been the object of numerous works of research. Reflecting on recent findings (please see the Convivium Supplement 2018, edited by A. Murphy, H.L. Kessler, M. Petoletti, E. Duffy and G. Milanese ), and undertaking new research paths,…
Read MoreInnocent III and Veronica’s Veil: Papal PR or Eucharistic Icon?
Rebecca Rist (University of Reading) Abstract This paper will examine the cult of the sudarium known as Veronica’s Veil which was created in 1208 by Pope Innocent III (1198-1216), became an important focus of pilgrimage to Rome during the thirteenth century and for the Jubilee Year of 1300, and was to continue as an inspirational…
Read MoreThe Roman Veronica and the Holy Face of Lucca: parallelisms and tangencies in the formation of both traditions
Raffaele Savigni (Università di Bologna) Abstract There are various points of contact between the cult of the Holy Face of Lucca (which is documented from the end of the 11th century but only becomes a consolidated tradition in the early 1200s) and that of the Veronica. Although the former is a wooden statue (despite being…
Read More‘True Image’? Versions of the Veronica in Medieval England
Barry Windeatt (University of Cambridge) Abstract Taking its starting point from Julian of Norwich’s knowledgeable reference to the nature of ‘the holy Vernicle of Rome’ when interpreting her enigmatic second revelation, this paper charts the development of the Veronica in English writing and visual culture from before the Norman Conquest to the later Middle Ages. …
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The Literary Warp and Artistic Weft of Veronica’s Cloth
Herbert L. Kessler (Baltimore & Brno) A painting in the Louvre attributed to Jacquemart de Hesdin seems entirely natural in its inclusion of St. Veronica; stationed at the far left of the Way to Calvary, Veronica presents the portrait imprinted directly onto the cloth she used to wipe Christ’s face. So essential that even Mel…
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Images of the Veronica in Religious Books of the Laity: Their Provenance and Meaning
Hanneke Van Asperen (Nijmegen) Abstract Manuscripts for lay devotion, often books of hours, sometimes contain small images of the Veronica that were added to the book after its production, probably by the book owner at the time. Attachment to the book did not always guarantee survival of the fragile pictures. Occasionally, the images are still…
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“Sui pretiossisimi vultus Imago”: Veronica and Grants of Indulgences in the 13th and early 14th centuries
Étienne Doublier (Wuppertal) Abstract Both the “true icon” and “pardons” began to be extremely popoular especially during the thirteenth century. My paper questions the possible connection between the two phenomena and portrays the history of papal and episcopal indulgences connected with the veneration of Veronica in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Following topics will be…
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