Description
Our Lady of Perpetual Help icon, also called the Virgin of the Passion
Our Lady of Perpetual Help is one of the best-known Marian icons in Catholic devotion. The historic image is of Cretan origin, was venerated in Rome by 1499 and was entrusted to the Redemptorists in 1866. This reproduction follows its central theology: Mary holds Christ while the archangels Michael and Gabriel present instruments of the Passion. The Child turns toward those signs, and Mary directs the viewer to him. The product image shows a blue mantle, despite the Red Mantle wording retained in the catalog title.
Symbols of the Passion and divine help
The angels' cross, spear and other Passion instruments do not end the image in fear. They place Christ's saving death and Resurrection within the tender protection of his Mother. Greek inscriptions identify the Mother of God, Jesus Christ and the archangels. Mary's steady gaze meets the person praying, yet her hand and the entire composition keep Christ at the center. Veneration is offered to the holy persons represented, not to the wooden object.
For Marian devotion and prayer
This icon is suited to a home shrine, parish room or daily prayer to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. It can mark a baptism, First Communion, wedding, anniversary, recovery or house blessing without implying a guaranteed favor. It is a contemporary devotional reproduction, not the historic Roman original.
Crafted on linden wood in Poland
Art Christiana makes this icon in Poland on a carefully prepared linden wood board. The surface receives two primer coats, hand-applied metal leaf and a directly transferred image. A certificate and hanging fixture are fitted on the reverse, and the icon arrives in a protective presentation box.