LA CONQUISTADORA !!!
DIVINE MERCY
30 INCHES BY 50 INCHES TALL IN CANVAS COPY OF THE ORIGINAL.
BLESSED IN MERCY SUNDAY MAY 1, 2011 BY THE BISHOP OF LAS VEGAS.
The restored Divine Mercy Image
Today there are many variations of the Divine Mercy Image around the world, the most famous being the Hyla, Vilnius, and Skemp Images. The Vilnius Image, featured on this page, is the original and only Divine Mercy Image painted under Sister Faustina's direction. It was painted in 1934 by Vilnius artist Eugene Kazimirowski, who was retained by Fr. Michael Sopocko, Sister Faustina's spiritual director. This image is named after the town where the Image was painted and first hung for public display. Both the Hyla and the Skemp are named after the artists who painted them.
During World War II, which Sister Faustina predicted two years to the day before the Nazis invaded Poland, the original Image fell into disrepair, having been improperly stored in a damp attic. As the Image and message gained popularity during the war as a comfort to souls, reproductions were made from a black and white photograph taken prior, which was not-so-skillfully colorized. In this form it was spread around the world. Sadly, none of these Images ever reflected the true beauty and color of the original painting. However, in June 2003, under the auspices of the Archbishop of Vilnius, the original painting was restored by an expert, and a photograph was sent to the Marian Fathers along with permission to reproduce it as a thank-you for their generous support in the building of a new Church there. The photograph was then given to Mercy Films, Inc. to prepare it for reproduction. The result is this stunning Image of Jesus.
Vilnius Image and the Shroud of Turin
Because Sister Faustina was not an artist, her spiritual director, Father Michael Sopocko, took her to a local Vilnius artist named Eugene Kazimirowski, (left), who painted this Image directly under Faustina’s supervision. From the time Sister received the vision in 1931 to paint this Image, to the time it was finished, three and one-half painful years had elapsed. Painful because of the many conflicts Sister Faustina had to endure. Sadly remarking, “Lord, who will paint You as beautiful as you are” (Diary 313), Faustina had the artist change the face at least 10 times. Finally, Our Lord told Faustina that it was good enough - to leave it in the state it’s in. In the mid 1990's it was accidentally discovered that the face on this Image perfectly matched the one on the Holy Shroud of Turin.
This restored Vilnius Image is the only Image painted under St. Faustina’s direction.
A little-known promise regarding the Image
The restored Divine Mercy Image makes a beautiful addition to any room or chapel. But greater than it’s beauty are Our Lord’s words, “Not in the beauty of the color, nor of the brush lies the greatness of this image, but in My grace.” (Diary 313). Here is just one of many stories regarding the power and graces granted through this Image:
“In one of the first booklets that Sister Faustina’s confessor, Father Sopocko, published, he mentioned a promise made by Jesus regarding the veneration of the Image of Himself that He told Faustina to paint, that we cannot find either in the diary nor in her letters. Before St. Faustina was told by her spiritual director to keep a diary of her spiritual experiences, she used to record those, about which she thought she ought to inform him, on pieces of paper and give them to him. The Sister who was the vice-postulator for Poland knew that there was a collection of these which ultimately must have been given to the investigatory tribunal that was to inspect her writings, and it’s possible that this promise was mentioned among those papers."
"Anyway, Father Sopocko knew about it and I’m sure that if it wasn’t true, he would not have included it in that booklet. It was a promise that Jesus made: I will save those cities and houses in which this Image will be found. He also said: I will likewise protect the persons who will honor and trust in My Mercy."
DIVINE MERCY
30 INCHES BY 50 INCHES TALL IN CANVAS COPY OF THE ORIGINAL.
BLESSED IN MERCY SUNDAY MAY 1, 2011 BY THE BISHOP OF LAS VEGAS.
The restored Divine Mercy Image
Today there are many variations of the Divine Mercy Image around the world, the most famous being the Hyla, Vilnius, and Skemp Images. The Vilnius Image, featured on this page, is the original and only Divine Mercy Image painted under Sister Faustina's direction. It was painted in 1934 by Vilnius artist Eugene Kazimirowski, who was retained by Fr. Michael Sopocko, Sister Faustina's spiritual director. This image is named after the town where the Image was painted and first hung for public display. Both the Hyla and the Skemp are named after the artists who painted them.
During World War II, which Sister Faustina predicted two years to the day before the Nazis invaded Poland, the original Image fell into disrepair, having been improperly stored in a damp attic. As the Image and message gained popularity during the war as a comfort to souls, reproductions were made from a black and white photograph taken prior, which was not-so-skillfully colorized. In this form it was spread around the world. Sadly, none of these Images ever reflected the true beauty and color of the original painting. However, in June 2003, under the auspices of the Archbishop of Vilnius, the original painting was restored by an expert, and a photograph was sent to the Marian Fathers along with permission to reproduce it as a thank-you for their generous support in the building of a new Church there. The photograph was then given to Mercy Films, Inc. to prepare it for reproduction. The result is this stunning Image of Jesus.
Vilnius Image and the Shroud of Turin
Because Sister Faustina was not an artist, her spiritual director, Father Michael Sopocko, took her to a local Vilnius artist named Eugene Kazimirowski, (left), who painted this Image directly under Faustina’s supervision. From the time Sister received the vision in 1931 to paint this Image, to the time it was finished, three and one-half painful years had elapsed. Painful because of the many conflicts Sister Faustina had to endure. Sadly remarking, “Lord, who will paint You as beautiful as you are” (Diary 313), Faustina had the artist change the face at least 10 times. Finally, Our Lord told Faustina that it was good enough - to leave it in the state it’s in. In the mid 1990's it was accidentally discovered that the face on this Image perfectly matched the one on the Holy Shroud of Turin.
This restored Vilnius Image is the only Image painted under St. Faustina’s direction.
A little-known promise regarding the Image
The restored Divine Mercy Image makes a beautiful addition to any room or chapel. But greater than it’s beauty are Our Lord’s words, “Not in the beauty of the color, nor of the brush lies the greatness of this image, but in My grace.” (Diary 313). Here is just one of many stories regarding the power and graces granted through this Image:
“In one of the first booklets that Sister Faustina’s confessor, Father Sopocko, published, he mentioned a promise made by Jesus regarding the veneration of the Image of Himself that He told Faustina to paint, that we cannot find either in the diary nor in her letters. Before St. Faustina was told by her spiritual director to keep a diary of her spiritual experiences, she used to record those, about which she thought she ought to inform him, on pieces of paper and give them to him. The Sister who was the vice-postulator for Poland knew that there was a collection of these which ultimately must have been given to the investigatory tribunal that was to inspect her writings, and it’s possible that this promise was mentioned among those papers."
"Anyway, Father Sopocko knew about it and I’m sure that if it wasn’t true, he would not have included it in that booklet. It was a promise that Jesus made: I will save those cities and houses in which this Image will be found. He also said: I will likewise protect the persons who will honor and trust in My Mercy."