Kalendarium-ENG

Events: The Turks occupy Edessa. Christian temples, including the Hagia Sophia, are destroyed. During this time, the Mandylion is kept safely in Constantinople, in the Pharos Chapel (The Church of the Virgin of the Pharos).

Events: The English chronicler, the monk Orderic Vitalis, notes in his Ecclesiastical History: Abgar reigned as toparch of Edessa. It was to him that the Lord Jesus sent […] most precious linen, with which he wiped the sweat from his face, and on which the Saviour’s features shone, miraculously reproduced. Read more…

Events: Abu Nasr Yaha, a Christian Arab writer, notes that he saw the Mandylion in the temple of Hagia Sophia.

Events: Sources mention a procession with the Mandylion in Constantinople. Comment: These references do not suggest that on these occasions the cloth was displayed to the public. Byzantine hymnody from this period suggests that the relic was still considered too sacred to be displayed in public.

Events: The art begins to feature scenes of the Mourning (Threnos) in which, for the first time, Christ’s dead body is shown lying in the position known from the Shroud. These scenes also feature a long and wide strip of linen, corresponding to the full length of the Shroud, whereas Read more…

Events: A copy of the Mandylion is brought to Rome from Byzantium, to which Pope Sergius consecrates a special altar. This copy is called the 'Veronica’ (from the Latin vera icon—true likeness). Over time, a legend of St Veronica develops around this copy, linking it to the Gospel-derived story of Read more…

Events: Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus ascends the throne of Byzantium. Constantine orders a gold solid to be minted to commemorate the translation of the Mandylion to Constantinople (with an image of Christ in Majesty). He declares 16 August as the official feast of the Mandylion and orders a special homily to Read more…

Events: The reliquary with the Mandylion is carried in a solemn procession along the walls of Constantinople, then brought to the basilica of Hagia Sophia, where it is placed on the 'throne of grace,’ then to the Chrysotriklinos in the Boukoleon Palace, where it is placed on the imperial throne, Read more…

Events: The procession with the Mandylion enters Constantinople. A closed show is held in the sacristy of the Church of Our Lady in Blachernae, attended by the future Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus and the sons of the reigning Emperor Romanus, Stephanus and Constantine. They describe the face of Christ on Read more…

Events: Abraham, bishop of Samosata, travels to Edessa to seize the Mandylion on behalf of the emperor. An attempt to deceive the bishop by giving him a copy of the Mandylion fails. The Christians and Muslims of Edessa object to the handing over of the Mandylion. Bishop Abraham and the Read more…