Item Info

Script: Gothic bookhand
Language: Dutch
Folio Number: f. 125v
Source: Rare Book Department
Notes: St. Veronica raising her veil
Notes: This miniature prefaces a prayer to Christ. According to an apocryphal legend, a pious woman identified as St. Veronica took pity on Christ carrying his Cross on the way to Golgotha and wiped the sweat from his brow with her veil. When she took back the cloth, an image of his face had been miraculously impressed upon it. By the twelfth century, pilgrims' accounts record the existence of the veil at St. Peter's in Rome. The veil became known as the "Veronica," or in medieval etymology, the "True Image" based on the belief that the name Veronica was a composite of the Latin word "vera" (true), and the Greek word "icon" (image). As such, the Veronica became one of the most popular relics in the Middle Ages, and it was believed that simply looking at the veil granted miraculous benefits to the viewer. Some images of the Veronica, such as this one, show a blackened face of Christ, which some medieval mystics including Julian of Norwich interpreted as a logical result of Christ's Passion. The inscription below the veil can be translated "Hail, Holy Face."

This book of hours contains the Dutch translations of some of the devotional texts typically found in Latin books of hours. The Dutch translations were made around 1380 by Geert Groote, one of the founders of a popular religious movement in the Netherlands. Known as the Devotio Moderna, or "Modern Devotion," the movement emphasized devotion to the life and humanity of Christ and aimed to enhance the spiritual lives of the laity.
Sirsi Catalog Key: 1606296
Country: Country:Netherlands

Creation Year (Single Year or Range Begin): 1460
Image Dimensions Width: 158 mm
ShelfMark: Lewis E 131
Creator Name: Geert Groote (translator) - Author