This print of the restored fresco of Our Lady of the Column, Mother of the Church comes in a wood frame with a gold finish. In it, Jesus sits on Mary's lap, both smiling.
This fresco of the Madonna and Child, twice crowned, first as "Our Lady of the Column" in 1645, then as "Mater Ecclesiae" (Mother of the Church) in 1964, had humble beginnings. She was unnamed and painted by an unknown artist between the 15th and 16th centuries upon one of the original marble columns at St. Peter's Basilica, laid down by Constantine in the 4th century. By this point, the basilica was over 1000 years old and falling apart. So the column was taken down, keeping only the section with the fresco. It was installed above the left side altar, which was redesigned in 1607 by Giacomo Della Porta, where it remains today. Beneath her lays a sarcophagus with the remains of Popes Leo the II, III, and IV along with images of Our Lord and His twelve apostles. Symbolically, this represents her motherhood over the universal church, head and body, unto the ends of the earth.
Restoration of this image began on December 8th, 2012, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, with the approval of the Fabbrica di San Pietro, the organization managing all of the art inside St. Peter's Basilica. Lorenza D'Alessandro and Giorgio Capriotti, Italian conservators conducted photographic analysis of the original painting and restored it to its current condition. The project was completed by Ash Wednesday in February of 2013.
~Sizes listed are of the image only~
( NW-4095-17 )
