The Holy Face of Manoppello: Mysteries Surrounding This Sacred Relic

The Shroud of Turin, the Veil of Veronica, the Holy Face of Manoppello—miraculous representations of Christ’s face have fascinated and divided believers and scholars for centuries.

Among the many relics passed down through Christian history, some remain profoundly intriguing. Particularly captivating are those believed to portray the face of Christ, such as the Veil of Veronica, the Shroud of Turin, and the Holy Face of Manoppello. It’s understandable why these relics hold such deep allure for believers: to have even a faint perception of Jesus’s holy visage is a shared longing.

A notable feature these relics share, according to tradition, is that they are acheiropoietos, meaning not created by human hand. This has often led to confusion between them. The veil that Veronica, a follower of Jesus, used to wipe his face as he carried the cross to Calvary is sometimes mistakenly referred to as “the shroud of Jesus Christ.” However, this is incorrect: the veil is said to bear only an image of Christ’s face, whereas the Shroud of Turin depicts his entire body, as one would expect from a burial cloth.

The Holy Face of Manoppello also displays the face of a man with long hair and a beard, consistent with Christ’s known iconography. Preserved in the Basilica of the Holy Face, the Manoppello cloth has a simple weave, visible to the naked eye, and measures 0.17 x 0.24 metres.

Intriguingly, the face on the Manoppello cloth is visible from both sides of the fabric. The image, depicted in brown tones, is slightly asymmetrical, with one cheek rounder than the other and irregular pupils. However, modern ultraviolet analyses have found no trace of pigment on the fabric, supporting the claim that the face is neither painted nor woven into the material.

The Holy Face of Manoppello was brought to the town in the province of Pescara in 1506 by an unknown pilgrim. This individual gave the relic to a physician named Giacomo Antonio Leonelli before vanishing. The Leonelli family kept the relic until Marzia Leonelli sold it to Donato Antonio de Fabritiis.

At some point, the veil became damaged, prompting de Fabritiis to seek the expertise of Father Clemente of Castelvecchio. Father Clemente entrusted the relic to the Capuchin friar Remigio of Rapino, who placed it within a walnut frame, enclosed between two panes of glass—its current form. Unfortunately, Father Clemente deemed the surrounding cloth, reportedly as large as a tablecloth, unnecessary and discarded it, thereby erasing key evidence about the relic’s origins.

Since 1638, the relic has been housed in Manoppello at the Capuchin Friary’s church, which was dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel. Today, this site is the Basilica of the Holy Face, one of Manoppello’s most significant religious landmarks. The church was elevated to a minor basilica after Pope Benedict XVI visited it in September 2006.

The Holy Face and the Veil of Veronica

The Holy Face of Manoppello is often associated with the Veil of Veronica, said to have been used by Veronica to wipe Christ’s face.

The Veil of Veronica, housed in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome since the 14th century, disappeared in 1608 following the destruction of the chapel where it had been kept. Some argue it later surfaced in Manoppello. However, this theory conflicts with historical records, particularly the “Relatione historica” written by Father Donato of Bomba and preserved in L’Aquila, which states the cloth was already in Manoppello by 1506.

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Jesuit scholar Heinrich Pfeiffer and others have hypothesised that the Holy Face of Manoppello is the burial cloth placed over Christ’s face in the tomb, thus equating it with the Veil of Veronica. Elements such as the open eyes, hair arrangement, blood traces, and facial structure lend weight to this argument, suggesting the two relics might indeed be one and the same.

The Holy Face and the Shroud of Turin

Other researchers have identified similarities between the Holy Face of Manoppello and the Shroud of Turin. According to tradition, the Shroud of Turin is the burial cloth that wrapped Christ’s body after his crucifixion. This renowned relic has captivated and perplexed humanity with its enduring mystery.

Sister Blandina Paschalis Schloemer, an iconographic researcher, has noted identical facial features between the Holy Face and the Shroud of Turin: the oval shape, asymmetry, long hair, the tuft on the forehead, and the slightly open mouth. The sole difference lies in the eyes: on the Holy Face and the Veil of Veronica, the eyes are open, whereas they are closed on the Shroud of Turin. Despite this, the facial features of the Turin Shroud and the Manoppello cloth align perfectly.

The Sanctuary of Manoppello

Not much remains of the original Capuchin friary that housed the Holy Face. When Donato Antonio de Fabritiis donated the relic in 1638, the friary had recently been founded and was dedicated to Saint Michael and the Most Holy Name of God.

The Capuchin friars were expelled during the Napoleonic occupation, which mandated the closure of religious institutions. The friary was later entrusted to the Poor Clares before being returned to the Capuchins during the Bourbon Restoration. Extensive restorations between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries significantly altered the church’s original appearance.

Today, the basilica features a beautiful façade of white and pink stone. The chapel to the right of the choir, which houses the precious relic, has remained almost unchanged. Inside, the basilica has a single nave adorned with Baroque decorations. The Holy Face is kept in an exquisite silver reliquary of 18th-century Neapolitan craftsmanship, displayed prominently on an elevated stand behind the altar.

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