Wow Original Miraculous Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Legend says was Painted by Saint Luke - Take a Virtual Tour!

 

Saint Luke, a gentile physician and convert, was the legendary painter (creator) of the very 1st Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The name of this icon in Latin is "Salus populi romani" and that translates to "Health [or Salvation] of the Roman People."  Legend has it that the icon was created by St. Luke the Evangelist and brought by St. Helena in the 4th century to Rome. It was also believed to have caused a miraculous delivery of the city from the plague in the 6th century. The picture at left shows the actual icon after the restoration of 2018. Mary looks ahead in a blue mantle with stars on the shoulder and hood. The child blesses the viewer with his right hand and holds a book in his left. The Virgin's right hand rests over the child's lap. 

You can take a virtual tour of the Basilica in Rome that holds this icon. It is located in Santa Maria Maggiore in the Borghese Chapel. Take a Virtual Tour CLICK Link: https://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/sm_maggiore/vr_tour/index-en.html

Sources: Photograph of the original, Wikimedia Common;