The Wonder of Guadalupe

Weight: 209 grams l Dimension: 14 x 1 x 22 cm l Paperback: 176 pages

The vast new Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico is the greatest Marian shrine in the whole world and is visited annually by up to 20,000,000 pilgrims. They come there to see one of the most astonishing prodigies in the history of art and supernatural phenomena—the frail cloak or tilma of the humble Mexican, Juan Diego, on which there was miraculously imprinted on 12th December 1531, 450 years ago, a glowing image of the Blessed Virgin of an exquisite loveliness that defies true description or reproduction. The natural life of the ayate fibre from which the tilma is woven is a mere 20 years; for a century this delicate garment hung open to damp air and the noxious emissions of candles; countless numbers of the faithful have handled it; and in this century a powerful bomb was exploded directly beneath it—and yet this image of radiant grace and beauty survives unimpaired, in pristine condition. As the author shows, all who have scientifically examined the tilma over the centuries confess that its properties are absolutely unique and so inexplicable in human terms that the Image can only be supernatural in origin. Such indeed is the conclusion to emerge even more strongly than before from the latest scientific observations of the past few years: the discovery by the camera under magnification of persons, clearly identifiable in the eyes of the Virgin, who are known to have been present in the room at the moment when the Image was created; and Professor Callahan’s further examination of the Sacred Image in May 1979 by infra-red photography—a method which will unmask overpainting, alterations, and the presence of varnish, sizing and even preliminary artist’s drawings. “Studying the Image,” Professor Callahan concluded, “was the most moving experience of my life…I got the same strange feeling that others did who worked on the Shroud of Turin…As far as I am concerned, the original picture is miraculous. ”This fascinating new account brings to light these and many other remarkable features in the history of this venerable image and clearly shows that it has a world-wide appeal and a message which is especially relevant to the needs of contemporary society.