Shrine of the Holy Face
26 Via Cappuccini Manoppello
Tucked in the Apennine hills of Abruzzo, the small town of Manoppello holds one of the most mysterious and awe-inspiring relics in all of Christendom: the Holy Face of Jesus—a delicate veil bearing the image of a man’s face, believed by many to be the Face of the Resurrected Christ. Housed in the Shrine of the Holy Face (Santuario del Volto Santo), this sacred image continues to draw pilgrims seeking to gaze upon the countenance of the Risen Lord.
The veil is made of byssus, a rare and ancient sea silk that is nearly transparent, and yet it bears a full, lifelike image of a man’s face—peaceful, serene, and marked by wounds consistent with the Passion. According to tradition and growing scholarly belief, the veil may be the “sudarium”—the cloth laid over Jesus’ face in the tomb, mentioned in John 20:7. Some propose it is the missing “Veronica’s Veil,” long thought lost. Remarkably, the image is not painted, drawn, or made with any visible pigment, and it is visible on both sides of the fabric.
The image resurfaced mysteriously in Manoppello in the 16th century, and has been venerated there ever since. In recent years, the Holy Face has received renewed attention and devotion, especially after Pope Benedict XVI’s pilgrimage to the shrine in 2006, where he spoke of the Face of Christ as the “supreme revelation of God’s mercy.”
Pilgrims who come to Manoppello often speak of an intimate encounter—of being seen by Christ Himself. In this Jubilee Year, standing before the Holy Face offers a moment of deep personal prayer: to behold the face of Mercy, and to allow the light of the Resurrection to penetrate the heart.