150th anniversary restoration of the Perpetual Help Icon
Byzantine Icons | Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Byzantine icons have achieved great popularity throughout history. They are known throughout the world for their simple beauty and profound invitation to seek God. One of the most admired is the Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (also known as the Icon of Perpetual Help or Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help).
From June 25, 2015 to June 27, 2016 we celebrate a Jubilee Year to commemorate 150 years of two very important events. The first of these is the delivery of the Icon of Perpetual Help to the Redemptorist Fathers . Event that took place in 1866 when Pope Pius IX, today blessed, told them "Make her known" and gave the Icon to Fathers Michael Marchi and Ernesto Breciani. The second, the restoration to public devotion of the Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help .
To commemorate this important event , Mr. Juan Manuel del Río has written a book in which he "cooperates as much as possible in spreading knowledge and devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help." In Religious Articles Brabander we want to help as much as possible by writing this text with information extracted from the book “Icono Perpetuo Socorro. 150 years since the delivery to the Redemptorists, and restoration of the ICON (1866-2016)”.
Byzantine art, the birth of the Icons.
The history of Byzantine Art and, consequently, of the Byzantine Empire (or Eastern Roman Empire) could not be understood without its capital, Byzantium (later known as Constantinople, and currently Istanbul). Since its re-foundation in the year 330 at the hands of Emperor Constantine, this city has been the venue for numerous Church Councils, the cradle of important Saints and a bastion of Christianity until the 15th century. During this time what is known as Byzantine Art develops spectacularly. It is worth noting the importance that Russia had, as a result of its evangelization in the 10th century, in this process.
It is in the year 1453 when the city falls into the hands of the Ottoman Turks. With this event the artists, fundamentally Christian monks, flee to Serbia, Bulgaria, Crete, etc…
Cretan school, mixture of traditions.
The fall of the Byzantine Empire caused the emigration to the west of the majority of Christian monks. One of the places where they were best received was on the Mediterranean island of Crete.
It is on this island that an evolution of the Byzantine style takes place during the 15th and 17th centuries. The new style is characterized by a mixture of the Latin tradition , with an important development in religious imagery , and the Byzantine tradition , centered on icons and painting before a ban in the Orthodox Church on carved images.
The Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is part of the productions of the Cretan School. It is estimated that its creation was between the 10th and 15th centuries.
Church of San Mateo, 300 years of miracles, healings and graces.
The journey of the Icon of Perpetual Help from Crete to Rome is a mixture of history and legend.
Legend tells us that a merchant stole the Icon from a Church and shipped it hidden to Rome. After almost being shipwrecked, the merchant reached Rome where he fell ill. Seeing death very close, he confessed to a friend that he had the Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and asked him to take it to a church. The friend promised him that he would.
The friend's wife saw the Icon and fell in love with it. The wife convinced her husband to leave him at home. The result of the broken promise was the death of the merchant and his friend. Despite this, the woman kept the Icon in her home until a decisive event occurred: the appearance of the Virgin to the woman's daughter.
In this apparition, the Virgin told the six-year-old girl that the Icon should be taken to the Church of San Mateo , a minor temple located between the great basilicas of Santa María la Mayor and San Juan de Letrán.
On March 27, 1499, the Augustinian fathers, who ran the Church of San Mateo, organized a procession to carry the Icon of the Virgin of Perpetual Help from the house to the Church. On this journey, a sick person who touched the Icon was cured, being the first of many miracles that took place over the next 300 years.
From the private chapel to the delivery to the Redemptorists and restoration of the Icon.
In the year 1798, Napoleon commanding the French army took Rome, destroying a large number of churches and banishing Pope Pius VII. One of the destroyed churches is San Mateo, but the Augustinians manage to escape with it and hide it in their private chapel in Santa Maria in Posterula.
In 1855, the Redemptorists acquired the land of the old Church of San Mateo to build a new one, the Church of San Alfonso . In the investigations derived from this work they discover references to the miraculous Icon of the Virgin of Perpetual Help . The painting, which had been hidden from the public for almost 100 years, is located thanks to Father Michael Marchi , a member of the Redemptorists of Saint Alphonsus, who had been an altar boy at Santa Maria in Posterula and knew perfectly well the location of the Icon.
The Father General of the Redemptorists, Father Nicolás Maurón, knowing of the Virgin's desire to be exposed for worship in the old Church of San Mateo (now San Alfonso) and knowing the location of the Icon, addressed Pope Pius IX and asked for the miraculous painting.
On April 26, 1866, the Redemptorists placed the Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the Church of San Alfonso where it has remained until today.
Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, description
The original Perpetual Help Icon is painted on wood. It has measures of 53 cm. high by 41.5 cm. Wide.
Despite its apparent simplicity, the Icon is full of symbolism and meaning. A precious catechesis centered on the Paschal Mystery : birth, life, passion, death and resurrection of Christ.
The background is gold and four figures stand out. The Virgin and the Child Jesus in the sceptre, and on the sides, the archangels Michael and Raphael. In addition we can see the abbreviations of the names written in Greek.
The folds of the clothes are clearly marked by lines of gold color. 
The Virgin is represented standing but we can only see half her body. He wears a red tunic and a navy blue cloak with green trim. She wears a hairnet that collects her green hair. Two golden stars shine on the forehead. The crowns of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and the Child Jesus were not in the original painting, they are gifts from the Vatican Chapter for his canonical coronation.
The Virgin looks at the viewer with sad eyes , aware of the suffering that is to come, but also full of hope . She looks at us waiting for us to approach her in search of comfort, as a mother comforts her son, as the Church comforts her faithful.
The Child Jesus rests on the lap of his Mother. He grabs the Virgin's hand tightly because something has frightened him. He is represented right in the center of the painting and we can see his entire body. He wears a green robe with a purple belt. A light brown cloak covers her shoulder. One of the most symbolic details of the painting is the sandal of the Child Jesus, the sandal that almost falls off but remains attached to the foot by a small strap. It is represented in this way that there is always hope, which from the theological point of view is the Church, in which we will always find protection and love.
Saint Gabriel holds a Greek cross with a double crossbar and four nails, symbols of the Passion. Saint Michael , the spear and the sponge, also symbols of the Passion.
If you have found this brief introduction interesting, we recommend the book “Icono Perpetuo Socorro. 150 years of the delivery to the Redemptorists, and restoration of the ICON (1866-2016)” , very entertaining and easy to read. You can purchase a copy for the symbolic price of €5 at our religious products store in Lugo , by contacting D. Juan Manuel del Río or by writing to jolugore@gmail.com.