The road of sorrow, along which Jesus was led to Calvary, has 14 stops. Due to the events taking place at this moment, the sad procession stopped so many times. However, in the Gospels, nine of them are indicated, and the rest live in traditions and legends.
The sixth stop of the mournful path was due to Veronica. She merged with the crowd that accompanied Christ, who carried his cross to be crucified. At some point, Jesus, exhausted, fell under his weight. Then Veronica made her way through the crowd, ran up to the unfortunate man and gave him her handkerchief so that he could wipe the sweat from his face.
Later, having come home, Veronica discovered that the face of Jesus Christ was imprinted on the matter. This is how the image of the Savior appeared not made by hands.
Some historians believe that this legend arose among the Franciscan monks no later than the 15th century. Veronica, who was then already revered as a saint, was captured on the canvas of the Italian painter of the 15th - 16th centuries, Lorenzo Costa. In her hand she holds a handkerchief with the face of Jesus. Well, the German botanist Leonart Fuchs in honor of the saint named a whole family of plants with the name Veronica. It was in 1542.
Some experts suggest that the very name of Veronica arose due to some confusion. The Latin phrase vera icon, meaning "true image", could be transformed into a mythical character. But nevertheless, for the first time the story of St. Veronica appeared in the apocryphal Acts of Pilate, dated to the 4th or 5th century. There is also a story that the power of healing was given to Veronica's fee, which was experienced by the Roman emperor Tiberius, who cured his ailment with his help. One way or another, the image of St. Veronica with a dress, on which the face of Jesus appeared miraculously, was in almost all medieval churches.
Today, the Catholic Church commemorates Saint Veronica on February 4, the Orthodox Church - on July 12, which, however, does not apply to the Russian Orthodox Church, in which Veronica is not included in the official calendar. But photographers recorded her as their patrons. Many of them, depending on the confession, celebrate February 4 or July 12 as their professional holiday.
