Our Lady of Perpetual Help: Icon, History and Devotion

# The Icon That Crossed Centuries## A Icon of Guidance Through the AgesOur Lady of Perpetual Help is revered through an icon of the Hodegetria type (“She who Shows the Way”), likely originating from Crete in the 13th-15th centuries and reaching Rome around 1499. It was presented by Popes Pius IX and Leo XIII to the Redemptorists in 1865. The icon depicts Mary holding Jesus Christ, who observes the instruments of the Passion alongside the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. This iconography combines motherhood, redemption, and intercession: Mary is the “Perpetual Help” as her mediation knows no bounds.## Iconography: The Archangels and Instruments of PassionIn the icon, Archangel Michael (on Mary’s left) holds the spear, sponge, and chalice—instruments of the Passion. Archangel Gabriel (on her right) carries the Cross and nails. Jesus, witnessing his future suffering, grasps Mary’s hand with such force that a sandal has slipped from his foot. This intentional detail symbolizes: the Son seeks his Mother’s help face to the mystery of the Cross.## History: From Crete to RomeThe icon arrived in Rome carried by a Cretan merchant who, on his deathbed, requested it be placed in a Roman church. After several relocations, it resided at San Matteo in Merulana from 1499 to 1798 when Napoleon’s troops destroyed the church. The Augustinians kept the icon secret until 1865, when Pope Pius IX ordered its delivery to the Redemptorists. Leo XIII solemnly crowned it in 1867.## Theology: Perpetual Help as MediationThe title “Perpetual Help” (Perpetui Auxilii) expresses the belief that Mary’s intercession knows no temporal limits or extent. The document *Lumen Gentium* (n. 62) provides a doctrinal framework for this devotion, stating that Mary “out of maternal love cares for her brothers in Christ who still journey… until they reach the happy homeland.” St. Alphonse de Ligori, founder of the Redemptorists, systematized this doctrine in his work *Glories of Mary* (1750).## Devotion in Lusophone WorldsIn Portugal and Brazil, devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help is among the most popular, especially linked to the Redemptorists. The Novena prayer is widely recited: “Oh, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, I commit my heart to your protection.” This devotion ties into the traditional Marian spirit in Lusophone countries of seeking Mary’s maternal help during times of tribulation.## Further StudyDelve deeper into Mariology, Marian theology, apparitions, dedications to Our Lady, and the Master of Arts in Mariology program.

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