Acheiropoieta

The term is often applied to the content of the image, and thus used for what are known to be normal human copies of originals that are believed to have been miraculously created.

Ernst Kitzinger distinguished two types: "Either they are images believed to have been made by hands other than those of ordinary mortals or else they are claimed to be mechanical, though miraculous, impressions of the original".

They therefore were copied on an enormous scale, and the belief that such images existed, and authenticated certain facial types, played an important role in the conservatism of iconographic traditions such as the depiction of Jesus.

Abgar received an answering letter from Jesus, declining the invitation, but promising a future visit by one of his disciples.

This legend was first recorded in the early fourth century by Eusebius,[9] who said that he had transcribed and translated the actual letter in the Syriac chancery documents of the king of Edessa.

[11] The Ancha icon in Georgia is reputed to be the Keramidion, another acheiropoieta recorded from an early period, miraculously imprinted with the face of Christ by contact with the Mandylion.

Today only slight traces under overpainting remain of the original image of a Christ in Majesty with a crossed halo, in the classic pose of the Teacher holding the Scroll of the Law in his left hand while his right is raised in benediction.

Many times restored, the face completely changed when Pope Alexander III (1159–1181) had the present one, painted on silk, placed over the original.

In the Middle Ages the Pope and the seven cardinal-bishops would celebrate masses in the small sanctuary where it was housed, and at times would kiss its feet.

Recent studies trace the association of the name with the image[15] to the translation of Eastern relics to the West at the time of the Crusades.

In 1999, German Jesuit Father Heinrich Pfeiffer [de], Professor of Art History at the Pontifical Gregorian University,[16] announced at a press conference in Rome that he had found the Veil in a church of the Capuchin monastery, in the small village of Manoppello, Italy, where it had been in the custody of the Capuchin Friars since 1660.

Nevertheless, it is the subject of intense debate among some scientists, believers, historians, and writers regarding its authenticity and/or the details of its manufacture on account of other peculiarities.

This full length image of the Virgin is said to have miraculously been created at the unusually late date of 1531 (for the Western church) in Mexico, where it continues to enjoy an enormous reputation.

[19] This is a tridimensional image of Jesus Christ crucified that comes from the 16th century, and it is attributed to a miraculous event occurred to an Amerindian woman of this South American Andean region, who worked washing clothes for wealthy families of the city of Buga.

[citation needed] On October 5, 2006, a team of specialists, using four different complementary technologies: X-rays, ultraviolet rays, pigment and stratigraphic analysis of the image, certified its well-preserved condition.

[citation needed] According to ancient Spanish tradition in the early days of Christianity, James the Great, one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, was preaching the Gospel in what was then the pagan land of Caesaraugusta (now Zaragoza), in the Roman province of Hispania.

While he was praying by the banks of the Ebro River with some of his disciples, Mary miraculously appeared before him atop a pillar accompanied by angels.

It is generally believed that Mary would have appeared to James through bilocation, as she was still living either in Ephesus or Jerusalem at the time of this event.

After establishing the church, James returned to Jerusalem with some of his disciples where he became a martyr, beheaded in 44 AD under Herod Agrippa.

[21] The origins of this mosaic icon can be traced back to the late third century AD when Maximian and Diocletian reigned jointly over the Roman Empire.

[21] According to tradition, the Icon of Christ of Latomos was discovered by Princess Flavia Maximiana Theodora, the Christian daughter of Emperor Maximian.

[22] Sometime before the Ottoman occupation and prior to the twelfth century, the mosaic icon was rediscovered by a monk from Lower Egypt.

Thematically and artistically, the Icon of Christ of Latomos is considered to be the first of its type, depicting an apocalyptic scene that includes imagery from the Book of Ezekiel.