This is the oldest image of the Virgin of Guadalupe kept in the Vatican

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We talked with Fray Javier Monroy, Father Prior of the Community of Augustinian Recollects of the San Ildefonso and Santo Tomás de Villanueva International School, in whose convent church is the famous painting that arrived 350 years ago. Highly frequented by the Latin American community, it is a space of consolation for the people who entrust their most intimate wishes to the Mother Mary.

The first image of the Virgin of Guadalupe to arrive in the capital of Christianity was painted in Mexico in 1667 by Juan de Murcia and arrived in Rome in 1672. This work of art illustrates the moment in which Saint Juan Diego showed his Tilma, a characteristic Mexican cloak, with the roses that miraculously appeared on the fabric. 

This image is venerated in the convent chapel of the Community of Augustinian Recollects of the San Ildefonso and Santo Tomás de Villanueva International College, located on Via Sistina 11, in the historic center of Rome.

Pope Francis

In an interview, the Father Prior of the Augustinian community, Fray Javier Monroy OAR, elaborates on the historical material sent exclusively to the Vatican media. The chapel is made up of an altar made with the marble inlay technique, in which an eagle is represented on a cactus, which today appears on the coat of arms and the flag of Mexico. The decoration is completed with stuccos of cherubs, cornices, a large crown on top of the main painting, and a relief of the Holy Spirit. There are other images of the Guadalupana in Rome, but they are later than this one.

Source: Excelsior

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