|
Mandylion
Mandylion Means Holy Face or True Likeness of Christ, a vernicle
Following the discovery, in 544 CE, of a cloth with an image (or possibly 525 CE), Byzantine and later Russian, Greek and Eastern Orthodox churches began to conform images to this likeness. The primary forms of art were icons, mosaics and frescos. The general appearance is thought to be one of the oldest appearances of Jesus. One version of a legend behind the image is that Abgar, king of Edessa, sent his archivist, Ananias, to Jesus in Galilee with a letter requesting that Jesus visit him in Edessa and heal him of an incurrable disease. Some versions of the legend report that the disease was leprosy. Ananias was also to paint a portrait of the Jesus. According to the story, Jesus washed himself and wiped his face on a linen cloth, thus imprinting it with his features. When Abgar beheld the cloth, his disease was cured. According to other versions of the legend, the apostle Thomas or disciple Thaddeus, one of the seventy, went to Edessa and presented a cloth with an image of Jesus. The image was preserved in Edessa for many centuries as the citys most sacred treasure. The legend and the image are referenced by many ancient writers including Eusebius of Caesarea (325 CE), and Evagrius (590 CE). In 944, Byzantine forces captured the image from Edessaand brought it to Constantinople. It was then learned that the image was a full length cloth with a full length image. The Mandylion remained in Constantinople until the city was sacked by French and Venetian crusaders in 1204. It disappeared at that time. tetradiplon folding Scavone Introduction to Several Documents Mandylion Icon ca mid-1100s Mandylion Icon ca 14th Century "
| 
