VEIL OF MANOPPELLO

Philip Coppens and his latest offering. ‘The Veil of Manoppello’. No-one knows how the relic or the image came into existence.

'The history of the Manoppello relic is documented since the middle of the 17th century, when the object went on public display in this little town. But there is a legend that claims that it was a Sunday afternoon in 1506 when an angel brought the Veil here. A pilgrim, in front of the town’s church of Saint Nicholas of Bari, asked Doctor Giaccomantonio Leonelli to come into the church with him. The good doctor was handed a bundle, inviting him to care for it. Inside was found the Veil.

The object was passed down in the Leonelli family, but in 1608, there was a dispute amongst the various descendants. Pancrazio Petruzzi took possession of the relic by force. But when he was thrown in prison in Chieti (on unknown charges ), his wife, Marzia Leonelli, sold the cloth to buy his freedom; the cloth ended up in the hands of Donantonino De Fabritiis, who restored it and donated it to the Capuchin monks of Manoppello in 1638, where it has been displayed since 1646. For centuries, it was displayed in a darkish side chapel, currently located next to the shop. In 1923, the Veil was placed above the altar, where visitors can now climb towards the display cabinet and come face to face with the back of the veil. It is precisely what Pope Benedict did in 2006.'
See the link if you are interested in the full story. [1] 




Now does that image look anything like the bust found in the remnant of the ancient Greco-Buddhist city in Afghanistan? These busts are dated as 300AD. 

No, he has fine features and high cheekbones just like the bust conveys. It is a perfect depiction of him. 

ELIAKIM

1. http://www.philipcoppens.com/manoppello.html