Page 271 - ירושלים: גיליון רפואי

Face (Mandylion) was taken from Edessa to Constantinople and placed in a special sanctuary
there. Perhaps the renowned icon from St Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai commemorates this
event. It is part of a triptych which presumably enclosed the Holy Face as its central piece. King
Abgar is depicted receiving the cloth with Christ’s image from Ananias. Clothed as a Byzantine
emperor, Abgar resembles Constantine VII, who brought the holy relic to Constantinople.

The legend of Abgar enjoyed extreme popularity and was circulated in Syriac, Greek, Armenian,
Georgian, and other languages. However, it was only in the eleventh century that the Holy Face
became an integral part of Byzantine iconography. Representing the Incarnation, the Holy Face is
usually depicted in churches throughout Byzantium and beyond, including Cappadocia, Cyprus,
and Georgia, where it was very popular. Over time, it changed from an image on fabric to a painted
icon, inspiring various illuminated manuscripts that highlight the miraculous appearance of the
image and its healing powers. One of the most intriguing illuminations can be seen in a fourteenth-
century scroll (NY Morgan Library, cod. 449, and the Regenstein Library of the University of
Chicago, cod. 125) depicting the power of the Holy Image, especially for healing. The illustrated
Abgar legend appears alongside extracts from the Gospels and the Book of Psalms. The choice of
texts and images suggests its apotropaic qualities and its functioning as an amulet worn around
the neck. The text in the Arabic colophon strengthens these powers: “Oh you evil spirit! Just as
wax melting before fire, you and all your hostile forces will be brought to naught, oh you unclean
spirit! This prayer is fixed with the seal of One God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit [...].”
The amulet roll is attributed to Egypt or Palestine, perhaps made in St Catherine’s Monastery in
Sinai, and represents a clear Christian statement of the power of the true God, the Divine protector,
current in the area. Being a powerful talisman, the roll protects its holder, strengthening the idea of
a protective quality of the text and divine image, which shares the likeness with the prototype.

The famous relic was lost during the 1204 conquest of Constantinople. Nevertheless, a number
of images associated with the Mandylion are today considered its direct copies and even claim to
authenticity, including examples from Tbilisi (Achiskhati icon), Genoa (the church of San Bartolomeo
degli Armeni), and the Vatican (the Cappella della Matilda). Their dates are debatable and all depict
a dark face with unclearly outlined features, unlike the colored images on icons and manuscript
illuminations. The Genoa Sacro Volto is enclosed in a fourteenth-century silver-gilt frame depicting
the Legend of Abgar. The miracle of healing is strongly emphasized here. First Abgar is depicted
lying on his bed, reaching out to the messenger with some difficulty, but when the Mandylion
arrives he devoutly hugs and kisses it, coming into direct contact with the Holy Face. As a result
he is immediately cured, his legs move, and the king is ready to rise from his bed. Contrary to the
early sources, which do not specify his illness, the later ones refer to leprosy and arthritis, so the
miraculous cure as a result of the direct contact with the Holy Face is even more remarkable.

The image which was miraculously made in Jerusalem two thousand years ago remains alive
through its iconic copies. Having journeyed long across time and space, now, through the current
exhibition, it returns to Jerusalem, where the story began.

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