Manoppello Image, Religious relic in Manoppello, Italy
The Manoppello Image is a small cloth measuring approximately 7 inches by 9 inches (17.5 cm by 24 cm) made from fine linen or byssus that displays a faint image of a man's face with open eyes and visible wounds.
According to tradition, the veil was brought to Manoppello in 1506 by an unknown pilgrim who gave it to a local physician named Giacomo Antonio Leonelli, and it was later donated to the Capuchin friars in 1638.
The relic has been connected to the medieval legend of Veronica, who according to tradition wiped the face of Jesus on his way to Calvary, leaving a miraculous imprint that became an object of Christian devotion.
The relic is displayed in the Basilica of the Holy Face in Manoppello and can be viewed by visitors, with special veneration ceremonies held on the second Sunday of May and on August 6 each year.
The image appears on both sides of the transparent cloth without reversing, and scientific analyses have not detected conventional pigments or brushstrokes, suggesting a formation process different from standard painting techniques used in art.
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