Helmsley Parish - Veronica's Handkerchief

Veronica's Handkerchief

St Luke's account of our Lord's crucifixion describes Jesus being followed on his way to the cross (Via Dolorosa) by a group of women. These, unlike the rest of the mob, do not ridicule him, but mourn and lament over his fate (Luke 23:27ff). An ancient manuscript called the Acts of Pilate mentions a woman called Veronica crying out from a distance in Jesus' defence at his trial, indebted to him for curing her from a haemorrhage she had been suffering from for 12 years.

The detail of this healing is recorded by three of the four Gospels, although the woman's name is not mentioned and the action takes place well before Holy Week. It is however a somewhat mysterious description and signals that the Gospel writers had more detail about this particular event than they set down. My hunch is that the woman healed of the issue of blood was the mother of Jairus' daughter, whom Jesus raised from the dead. The two healings are closely linked in all three Gospels (Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56) and present a group of people who would be forever indebted to Jesus for his actions.

A post-script to the Acts of Pilate mentions that the Roman Emperor Tiberius was gravely ill but was cured by a handkerchief owned by Veronica which had healing powers. This handkerchief contained a perfect image of Jesus' face.

Two medieval chroniclers give further detail. Gerald of Wales describes how a woman uses her handkerchief to wipe Christ's brow on his way to the cross, and finds that afterwards it contains the true image (vera ikon in Latin). Gerald gives the name Veronica to the handkerchief. Matthew Paris (not Iscariot!) in a similar account calls the woman rather than the handkerchief Veronica.

The incident forms Station Six of the fourteen Stations of the Cross, a pattern of devotion and reflection on our Lord's Passion used in Holy Week and at other times. The alleged original handkerchief was held as a relic in Rome from the 8th century, and certainly much venerated in the later Middle Ages, although Milan and Jaen also claimed to have the original! Gabriel Max's painting was based on one of these three relics.

The whole incident is based on much legendary material, and for this reason the Roman Catholic Church in recent times has considered removing Veronica as a Station. However it is a story whose peculiarity belies invention. For instance, the synthesised accounts of the healing of Jairus' daughter and the woman with the issue of blood are odd and suggest some background material which is not revealed by the Evangelists.

It is also heartening that not the whole of humanity betrayed Jesus on Good Friday, but that some stayed faithful, which gives hope for us all. It seems most likely that those who stayed by him would have some special reason for doing so, such as being formerly healed by him. The healing properties of the handkerchief seem consonant with this theme.

Gabriel Max's picture, painted during the mid 19th century, is a form of trick art, where the eyes of Christ could be either open or closed. Many people visiting All Saints Church look at the painting and see the eyes opening or closing before them, and claim a miracle has taken place - behold, the blinking Christ of Helmsley! Some more rational but no less gullible souls think that I sit in the wall behind the painting operating the eyes! When showing children around the church, they are naturally drawn to this rather spooky picture. I tell them the story of Veronica, and then conclude by saying that the picture has a double message. Christ with his eyes shut is saying, 'You've made such a mess of things, I just can't bear to look.' The open-eyed Christ is so in love with you that he can't take his eyes off you.

Information for Visitors