St. Jude and the Holy Face of Jesus

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King Abgar with Veil, Monastery of St. Catherine Sinai, Egypt 8th Century
St. Jude presents King Abgar with a cloth bearing the living Face of Jesus, Monastery of St. Catherine Sinai, Egypt 8th Century

The Mandylion of Edessa

“It is said that King Abgarus of Edessa had sent a painter to make a portrait of Christ.  But he was not able to do it because of the light that shone out of the Lord’s Face. So, taking a veil and placing it before his holy and life-giving face, Jesus impressed his image on it and sent it to King Abgarus, thus satisfying his desire.” –St. John Damascene (source)

  St. John Damascene wrote this regarding The Mandylion of Edessa, which means “towel” or “handkerchief” in Arabic. Many versions of this legend may be found in historical sources dating back to 590 AD. According to one tradition the cloth bearing a living image of the Face of Jesus is associated with the Apostle St. Jude Thaddeus:

St. Jude Thaddues, holding the Face of Jesus
St. Jude Thaddeus, often seen depicted holding the Face of Jesus

The poor King Abgar suffered from leprosy and gout and hearing of the miracles of Jesus, sent a letter to Jesus with his secretary Ananias, (who also happened to be the wonderful painter mentioned above). It was St. Jude Thaddeus who brought the Holy Veil to the King. After hearing St. Jude Thaddeus preach, and receiving the holy image the King was healed. King Abgarus, who brought Christianity to his kingdom, is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Church.

  “Arab sources also mention the cloth on which Jesus imprinted the image of His Face.” (source) Although there was disagreement over the centuries as to the question of how the image of the living face of Jesus was formed on the cloth, everyone agreed that it was indeed miraculous.

Many reproductions were made of the image, some appearing miraculously on tile that had covered the sacred cloth. The Mandylion was brought eventually to Constantinople, “the queen of all cities,” on August 16, 944, which is still celebrated as a feast day in the Eastern calendar.  It was recorded as being kept in a golden vessel, and only taken out once a year from the Sacred Chapel, where other precious relics of the Passion were also kept until the sack of Constantinople in 1204.

The Invocation of the Holy Face of Jesus continues to be associated with miraculous healing: 

Read: A Dominican Priest Shares Testimony of Healing Through the Invocation of the Holy Face.

St. Jude Thaddeus, known as the Saint of hopeless causes, presenting the Mandylion of the Holy Face to King Abgar, who is healed his infirmities.

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