The icon of Salus Populi Romani is found in the Lady Chapel of the basilica known as St. Mary Major in Rome and has long been considered a wonderworking image, especially in times of plague or epidemics.. Pope Gregory the Great welcomed the image now known as Salus Populi Romani (“Salvation/Health of the Roman People”) in AD 593 and placed it in the basilica known as St. Mary Major. Salus Populi Romani, meaning Protectress (literally "Health") of the Roman People is the title given in the 19th century to the icon of the Madonna and Child, reputed to date to Early Christian times. With Italy on lockdown and Rome streets almost deserted, Pope Francis left the Vatican March 15 in a mini-pilgrimage to an icon and to a crucifix associated with miraculous interventions to save the city and its people. Like the Salus Populi Romani, the crucifix’s origin is not known except that it’s probably Tuscan and may date to the 15th century.As with the icon, the Romans are particularly devoted to it. The icon is at least a thousand years old, and according to a tradition was painted from life by St Luke the Evangelist using the wooden table of the Holy Family in Nazareth . [1] [2] Contents. Salus Populi Romani is one of the so-called “Luke images.” ... (590-604) a plague viciously attacked the people of Rome, killing entire families. For on the night of May 22, 1519 an earlier church dedicated to San Marcello was almost completely destroyed by fire; only this crucifix remained providentially intact. Salus Populi Romani. On the 24th of February in 591, Pope St Gregory the Great had this Byzantine icon of Our Lady and the Child Jesus, recently arrived from the East, carried throughout Rome while praying for an end to the Plague pandemic. According to Lops, Pope Francis wanted to make the visit to encourage Italians during the quarantine conditions across … Pope Francis prays in front of the Marian icon, "Salus Populi Romani" (health of the Roman people), during a prayer service in an empty St. Peter's Square at the Vatican March 27, 2020. Some pious traditions allege that this large three-feet-by-five-feet icon predates the Gospels. Photo: CNS photo/Vatican Media “Dear Father, I watched Pope Francis’ wonderful hour of prayer on 27 March and was struck by the beautiful crucifix and image of Our Lady behind him. Salus Populi Romani On the 24th of February in 591, Pope St Gregory the Great had this Byzantine icon of Our Lady and the Child Jesus, recently arrived from the East, carried throughout Rome while praying for an end to the Plague pandemic. He and his wife had no children… Salus Populi Romani (English: Protectress of the Roman People) - Protectress translates literally as "salvation or health" - is a title given in the 19th century to the Byzantine icon of the Madonna and Child, reputed to date to the Early Christian era, in the Borghese or Pauline Chapel of the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome. This icon was allegedly painted by none other than St. Luke, and it is also claimed that it was carried in procession by Pope St. Gregory the Great (590-604) to stem a plague that was afflicting the people of Rome. Salus Populi Romani. Salus Populi Romani Our Lady of the Snows Salus Publica Populi Romani - the Roman goddess. It is historically the most important Marian icon in Rome. The miraculous image, Protectress of the Roman People, is perhaps the best loved and honored Marian icon in Rome, Italy. Like the Salus Populi Romani, the crucifix’s origin is not known; it’s probably Tuscan and may date to the fifteenth century. In the year 590, a great plague took many lives of the Romans, including the bishop of … This painting has reached a worldwide popularity after the gesture of Pope Francis during the Third Sunday of Lent: the Pope in the desert of Rome to pray against the plague. Pope Paul V is buried in the Borghese Chapel with the “Salus Populi Romani” icon of the Virgin. Wolf, Salus Populi Romani, 19; Hans Belting, Likeness and Presence: A History of the Image Before the … The first title is a reference to the Salus Populi Romani icon of Mary holding the child Jesus. The… Pope Gregory I processed through the city with the Salus Populi Romani icon in 593 to ward off the plague. The Byzantine icon of Salus Populi Romani was also processed through Rome by Pope Gregory I in 593 for an end to the plague known as the Black Death. The air was reportedly cleansed by this image and the plague ceased. The wood was then covered with many layers of gesso (”jess-o”.) Protectress of the Roman People (also translated: Health of the Roman People) — M. Jean Frisk. Alexis Bugnolo Today, Vatican News reported that Cardinal Bergoglio visited Saint Mary Major's at Rome to implore the intercession of Our Lady, under Her title of Salus populi romani -- The salvation of the Roman people -- to end the plague of coronavirus. In a time of a great plague under Pope Gregory the Great, the Salus Populi Romani icon was carried through the streets during which a choir of angels was heard singing. For this procession, Gregory had Salus Populi Romani brought to Rome and he and the Romans prayed for the Blessed Virgin’s intercession. The other image was, of course, the icon of Mary, Salus Populi Romani, brought from the Basilica of St. Mary Major. The exact date of the image is still under debate. In 593 Pope St. Gregory the Great carried the icon in procession to stop a plague. SALUS POPULI ROMANI SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE, ROME "Let us ask the Blessed Virgin to nominate an heir." Captivating story of angel statue that ended plague in Rome. by Br. Our source, Gregory of Tours, tells us that the plague was so severe that 80 participants died during the procession itself. Gerhard Wolf, Salus Populi Romani: die Geschichte römischer Kultbilder im Mittelalter (Weinheim, 1990), esjD. The icon has been revered by the people of Rome for centuries and is considered a symbol of the city and its people. The icon is "Salus Populi Romani" (health of the Roman people) in the Basilica of St. Mary Major and the crucifix, which Romans call the "Miraculous Crucifix," is housed in … by Br. After the procession reached Santa Maria Maggiore, it turned toward the Vatican. She is thus called 'The Health (or Salvation) of the Roman People', and she is now enshrined in a chapel in the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome. And the plague had just taken the life of Pope Pelagius II in February of 590. The pontiff fervently prayed to the Blessed Mother. August 05 2020 - St. Mary Major - Salus Populi Romani Typically the Church’s Liturgical Calendar calls for the celebration of a holy person, but today we celebrate the dedication of a holy place: St. Mary Major, one of Rome’s four principle basilicas. And Gregory XVI invoked her protection in 1837 during a cholera epidemic. How “Sancta Maria Salus Populi Romani” was made This icon was painted on solid wood. Gesso is a kind of thick paint made with glue and chalk, marble dust, or plaster. Salus Populi Romani (Protectress, or more literally health or salvation, of the Roman People) is a Roman Catholic title associated with the venerated image of the Virgin Mary in Rome.This Byzantine icon of the Madonna and Christ Child holding a Gospel book is kept in the Borghese (Pauline) Chapel of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. Maria Salus Populi Romani is guarded and revered in the Pauline chapel of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. Also like the icon, the Romans are particularly devoted to it. The basilica houses the tombs of many popes. The image is now known by the name, “Salus Populi Romani,” which is translated as, “Health of the Roman People.” During the Easter festivals he carried her image in solemn procession. Romans are no stranger to epidemics throughout the centuries. The altar in the Chapel’s center has a beautiful ciborium from 1590 composed of four bronze angels holding a tempietto. It is about 48 inches tall x 30 inches wide. Today, Vatican News reported that Cardinal Bergoglio visited Saint Mary Major’s at Rome to implore the intercession of Our Lady, under Her title of Salus populi romani — The salvation of the Roman people — to end the plague of coronavirus. The Capella Sistina was built for Pope Sixtus V and houses his tomb. 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