The acheiropoieton of Gethsemane as depicted in the manuscript Madrid, Biblioteca del Monasterio de El Escorial, T.I.1  (ca. 1280-1284), f. 44r, https://rbme.patrimonionacional.es/s/rbme/item/11337#?c=&m=&s=&cv=95&xywh=-4400%2C-263%2C12014%2C5244 . Legends surrounding the so-called images “not made by human hands” ( acheiropoieta ) emerged around the 6th century, with the aim of popularising the miracles attributed to them, promoting their veneration, and increasing the numb

Giotto, Ascension of Saint John the Evangelist , Peruzzi Chapel, Santa Croce, Florence (14th c.), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giotto_di_Bondone_-_Scenes_from_the_Life_of_St_John_the_Evangelist_-_3._Ascension_of_the_Evangelist_-_WGA09300.jpg . After the death of the Apostle and Evangelist John (late 1st century), his tomb did not become a place venerated by Christians, and later generations forgot its exact location. The oldest biography of the apostle only mention

The image of Edessa in the manuscript Paris, BNF Lat. 2688 (13th c.), f. 75r, https://mandragore.bnf.fr/mirador/ark:/12148/btv1b8101682k/f61 . In the Byzantine world, the icon of Edessa was arguably the most famous image “not made by human hands” (acheiropoieton). According to legend, before his death, Christ imprinted the image of his face on a cloth, which he sent to King Abgar V of Edessa with a letter. This story is not credible, especially since, unlike other Christian

The sarcophagus of Empress Helena (4th c.), Musei Vaticani, Rome, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:011-_Sarcofago_di_Sant%27Elena,...

Prophet Ezekiel as depicted in the manuscript   Paris, Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève 21  (14 e  s.), f. 77r, https://initiale.irht.cnrs.fr/decor/52768 , CC BY-NC 3.0. According to popular piety, a mysterious letter fell directly from the sky to draw attention to Sunday observance. After remaining suspended in the air for three days, the letter descended among the faithful. It contained harsh words for those who did not attend church on Sundays. Although rightly contested by e

The Virgin Mary and the ordeal of the bitter water, wall painting in the church of Santa Maria foris portas in Castelseprio, Italy (ca. 9th c.), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maestro_di_castelseprio,_storie_dell%27infanzia_di_cristo,_datazione_incerta_tra_l%27830_e_il_950_dc_ca.,_12_prova_delle_acque_1.jpg#mw-jump-to-license , CC 3.0 BY Saliko. According to Jewish tradition, the husband who suspected his wife of adultery brought her to the Temple in Jerusalem, where