{"id":184,"date":"2025-11-05T16:41:52","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T15:41:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sudariumchristi.stage.bergwerk-it.de\/introduction\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T13:37:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T12:37:47","slug":"introduction","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sudariumchristi.com\/en\/introduction\/","title":{"rendered":"Introduction"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\tThey that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goes forth and weeps, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves \u2013 manipulos \u2013 with him. \t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u2013 Ps 126,5 f.<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The town of Manoppello is nestled in the hills<\/strong> at the foot of the Majella massif in the Italian region of Abruzzo. This remote village is home to an invaluable relic: a veil which bears the image of the face of Jesus Christ. <\/p>

For nearly 400 years<\/strong> this \u201csudarium\u201d (Latin for \u201csweat cloth\u201d) has afforded consolation and hope only to a small number of the faithful, while it remained largely concealed from the rest of Christendom. In the meantime, indications have been accumulating that this is the \u201ctrue image\u201d which should actually be in St. Peter\u2019s Basilica in Rome. <\/p>

Concealed, mysterious, unveiled <\/strong>\u2013 Even the nature of the cloth hints at its enigmatic, mystical character: a transparent veil on which the image of Jesus appears to be in constant transformation depending on the varying lighting conditions. The full effect of its richness is apparent only during the processions in daylight. Renowned artists have attempted to recreate this motif, but even state-of-the-art photographic techniques have been unable to capture the shimmering countenance adequately. Furthermore, the veil is made of a very special material: byssus, the legendary fabric of antiquity, a material for eternity, which has survived 2000 years since the death of Jesus. The question of how the face of Jesus could appear on the sudarium was one which occupied the early Christians – a question which poses riddles today. <\/p>

Manoppello, manipulus, maniple<\/strong> \u2013 the name of the seemingly obscure small town which has provided sanctuary for the veil of Veronica for centuries, could not be more significant: the name \u201cManoppello\u201d is derived from the Latin word \u201cmanipulus\u201d, a \u201chandful\u201d, which is shown on the town\u2019s coat of arms as a \u201chandful of sheaves\u201d. The wheat sheaves recall bread, as does Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ: its name means \u201chouse of bread\u201d in Hebrew. \u201cThey that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goes forth and weeps, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves \u2013 manipulos \u2013 with him.\u201d (Psalms 126:5-6) \u2013 this is the psalm referred to by the priest when donning the maniple, originally a sweat cloth, which was later used during Mass to cover the left hand when passing the chalice, ciborium and empty monstrance. Thus, the name of the town Manoppello, which was founded long before the arrival of the veil, contains more than merely a reference to the sweat cloth itself. In conjunction with the bread and the liturgical object, it doubly underscores the meaning of the Eucharist: <\/p>

\u201cAnd he took bread,<\/strong> gave thanks, broke the bread and gave it to them, saying, \u2018This is my body, which will be given up for you. Do this in memory of me.\u2019 Likewise, after the meal he took the cup, saying, \u2018This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you.\u2019\u201d (Luke 22:19-20)<\/p>

Thus, as Father Ignazio Scurti, a Capuchin monk from Manoppello, emphasized, \u201cThe true Veronica, the true veil, is the Eucharistic host, and you will find the true face of God in the face of your neighbor.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Manoppello is a somewhat remote town in the Italian region of Abruzzo.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
The coats of arms of Manoppello and Bethlehem<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
The papal Basilica of the Holy Face in Manoppello<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goes forth and weeps, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves \u2013 manipulos \u2013 with him. \u2013 Ps 126,5 f. The town of Manoppello is nestled in the hills at the foot of the Majella massif in the Italian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-184","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sudariumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sudariumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sudariumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sudariumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sudariumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.sudariumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3588,"href":"https:\/\/www.sudariumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/184\/revisions\/3588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sudariumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}