永援圣母

永援聖母（；、；1325—1480）是天主教會對聖母玛利亚的称号。據稱與15世紀拜占庭艺术和聖母顯現有關。

據信，該聖像畫起源於，自1499年至今，一直供奉在羅馬，每週都會。

庇護九世於1866年5月5日授予及其官方正式頭銜Nostra Mater de Perpetuo Succursu。君士坦丁堡的拉丁族長紅衣主教於1867年6月23日主持加冕禮。

擔任聖像的保管人。

The image is sometimes known as “Virgin of the Passion of Jesus Christ” in the Eastern Orthodox religion. 

Novena devotions are held before June 27 every year. Under 庇護十二世's Pontificate, the image was designated as the national 供養人 of the 海地 and of Almoradí, in the 巴倫西亞自治區, 西班牙.

Due to promotion by the Redemptorist Priests since 1865, the image has become very popular among Roman Catholics. Modern reproductions are oftentimes displayed in residential homes, commercial establishments, and public transportation.

Description 

The original wooden icon is suspended on the altar, measures 17" × 21" inches, and is written on hard nut wood with a gold leaf background. The image depicts the following symbols:
 The Blessed Virgin Mary — wearing a dress of dark red, in Byzantine iconography the color of the Empress.
 The subject shows Mary looking towards the faithful while pointing at her son, 耶稣 who is frightened by the instruments of 十字架 and is depicted with a fallen sandal.
 The left side is Saint Michael Archangel —  carrying the 圣枪 and  of the 耶穌被釘十字架.
 On the right side is 加百列 carrying a 宗主教十字 and .
 The 馬利亞 (耶穌的母親) has a star on her forehead signifying her role as 海星聖母 while the cross on the side has been claimed as referring to the Greek monastery which produced the icon.

Byzantine depictions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in art have three stars, one star each on the shoulder and one on the forehead. This type of icon is called , where Mary is pointing to her Son, known as a Theotokos of the Passion.

Mary is depicted with a long slender nose, thin lips, and smoothly arched eyebrows, evidence of being made by a Greek artist. The veil and her face itself are rounded, indicating holiness. The size of the mother is also out of proportion to her son, a deliberate intent by the artist to show Mary as larger than life.

The Greek inscriptions read MP-ΘΥ (Μήτηρ Θεοῦ, Mother of God), ΟΑΜ (Ὁ Ἀρχάγγελος Μιχαήλ, Michael the Archangel), ΟΑΓ (Ὁ Ἀρχάγγελος Γαβριήλ, Gabriel the Archangel) and  (Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Jesus Christ), respectively.

The icon has a  on a walnut panel, believed to be from Crete. The  was the source of the many icons imported into Europe from the late Middle Ages through the Renaissance. The gold background represents the Kingdom of God. The round halo surrounding the Virgin Mary's head as well as details on the robes were created through , which is an artistic effect created by scraping the paint to reveal the gold background, additional effects are achieved by chasing designs on the gold. The icon was cleaned and restored once in 1866 and again in the year 1940.

Origin and discovery 

According to the , the icon was painted by 圣人  and was known as the Panagia Kardiotissa (Παναγίας Καρδιώτισσας), due to the depiction of the 天主之母 holding the  near her heart. Historian Stergios Spanakis had argued that the miraculous icon was the reason for the founding of the monastery. , an Italian Franciscan priest and traveler who visited Crete in 1415, wrote of the icon being miraculous:

The icon was stolen from the monastery in 1498.

The earliest written account of the icon after its abduction comes from a Latin and 意大利语 plaque placed in the church of  where it was first venerated by the public in 1499. The writer of the icon is unknown, but according to a parchment attached to the painting that accompanied the icon, it was stolen by a merchant sailing to 罗马 from the island of 克里特. (The  is regarded as the monastery from which the icon was stolen.) The image remained in the private possession of a Roman merchant and his family until 27 March 1499, when the icon was transferred to the church of San Matteo  where it remained for 300 years. The picture was then popularly called the “Madonna di San Matteo”. 

The  maintain a robust account of the icon and its passage from the private hands of a merchant family in Rome to its final and current location at , on the Esquiline Hill in Rome. The accounting includes the story of a merchant who secured the icon from Crete, and brought it to his family's home in Rome, during the late 15th century. The story includes a passage of a young member of the family, the six-year-old daughter of the merchant, who was visited by the Virgin Mary in a dream. Part of the accounting includes the following passage:

The icon remained at Saint Matthew's for three centuries. For at least the final 60 years of the 18th century, St. Matthew's was occupied by the Augustinian Order of the Catholic Church. When war broke out in Rome in 1798, the icon was moved to the Church of Saint Mary in Posterula, near the "Umberto I" bridge that crosses the Tiber River in Rome. The icon remained "hidden" there until Pope Pius IX granted the possession of the icon to the Redemptorists by Papal Edict, in 1865. The Church of Saint Mary in Posterula was later demolished in 1880.

According to the account by the Redemptorists: "In January 1866, Fathers Michael Marchi and Ernest Bresciani went to Saint Mary's in Posterula to receive the picture from the Augustinians.". The Redemptorists had purchased the property where the former Saint Matthew's had stood, and had established and built the modern Sant'Alfonso di Liguori, in honor of the founder of their congregation. Thus, the venerated icon of the Catholic Church was returned to the location described by the Virgin Mary in the dream of the merchant's daughter, that is, at the church between Saint Mary Major and Saint John Lateran.

Redemptorist tradition holds that Pope Pius IX declared, in 1866, that the Redemptorists make the icon known to the world, and so, several copies were made and sent to Redemptorist parishes around the world. One such Redemptorist parish in the United States, Saint Mary's in Annapolis, Maryland, received a copy from Rome in 1868. The image is prominently displayed within the sanctuary of the parish.

Transfer 
In 1798, 法国 troops under 路易-亚历山大·贝尔蒂埃 occupied Rome as part of the 法国大革命战争, establishing the
short-lived 罗马共和国 (18世纪) and taking 庇護六世 prisoner. Among the several churches demolished during the French occupation was San Matteo in Via Merulana, which housed the icon. The 奧斯定會 who rescued the icon first took it to the nearby Church of St. Eusebius, then later set it up on a side altar in the Church of Santa Maria in Posterula.

In January 1855, the Redemptorist priests purchased Villa Caserta in Rome along the Via Merulana and converted it into their headquarters. Decades later, 庇護九世 invited the  to set up a Marian house of veneration in Rome, in response to which the Redemptorists built Sant'Alfonso di Liguori at that location. The Redemptorists were thus established on the Via Merulana, not knowing that it had once been the site of the Church of San Matteo and shrine of the once-famous icon.

Custodianship 

庇護九世 sent a letter on 11 December 1865 to Father General Mauron, C.Ss.R., ordered that the image be once again publicly venerated in Via Merulana, the new church of Saint Alphonsus. The same Pontiff directed the Augustinian friars to surrender the original icon to the Redemptorist priests, on condition that the Redemptorists must supply the Augustinian priests with another adequate picture in exchange as a gesture of goodwill.

The instructions of the Pontifical order to the  were:

Upon its official transfer, Pope Pius IX finally gave his Apostolic Blessing and titled the icon Mater de Perpetuo Succursu (English: Mother of Perpetual Succour). 

On 21 April 1866, the Redemptorist Superior General gave one of the first copies of the icon to 庇護九世. This copy is preserved in the chapel of the Redemptorists' Generalate in Rome. 

On 5 May 1866, the image was granted a decree of   by the 座堂主任牧師 of the 聖伯多祿大殿  in a solemn and official recognition of the Marian icon under that title. The Latin Patriarch of Constantinople, Cardinal , executed the rite of coronation on 23 June 1867.

The original icon remains under the care of the Redemptorist Fathers at the Church of St. Alphonsus with the latest restoration of the icon having taken place in 1990.

Restoration and Carbon dating 

In 1866, the icon underwent restoration by the Polish painter Leopold Nowotny (1822—1870).

In 1990, the icon was taken down from its altar for new photography and image restoration commissioned by the General Government of Redemptorists. The Redemptorist Order entered into contract with the Technical Department at the 梵蒂冈博物馆 to restore the icon and prevent further fungal damage to the icon. The restoration process involved X射线, 红外线 scanning, technical analysis of the paint and 紫外线 testing along with a 放射性碳定年法 which placed the icon between the year 1325–1480. Artistic analysis of the icon revealed that the facial structure of the icon was altered due to previous overpainting, resulting in a combination of "oriental and occidental" features of the image.

Pontifical approbations
 庇護九世 granted a Pontifical decree of  to the original image along with its present title on 5 May 1866. The Latin Patriarch of Constantinople, Cardinal , executed the rite of coronation on 23 June 1867.
 庇護十二世 decreed this Marian title the Patroness of Haiti (1942) and 阿尔莫拉迪, 西班牙 (1945). 
 Pope John Paul II granted a  for the following venerated images: 
 In  authorized by decree signed on 14 May 1994. The rite of coronation was executed in 26 June 1994.  
 The venerated icon in 瓦多維采, the birthplace of the pope, was crowned by his decree on 16 June 1999. 
方濟各 (教宗) granted a Pontifical decree of coronation for the namesake image venerated in the monastery of the Redemptorist Order in  格利维采 on 22 June 2014.

Marian cult and veneration 
Our Lady of Perpetual Help has been venerated across many cultures and thus bears several titles in different languages, such as Mother of Perpetual Succour, Unsere Liebe Frau von der immerwährenden Hilfe, Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro, Notre-Dame du Perpétuel Secours, Mater del Perpetuo Succursu, and Yna ng Laging Saklolo.

India 

On 8 September 1948, the Perpetual Succour Novena was started in a small way at  at Mahim in the city of Mumbai, India. It all began in 1948 when Father Edward Fernandes, who, on his return from Europe, having seen the devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour at Belfast in Ireland, brought back with him a picture – one blessed by placing it upon the original picture in Rome. The devotion spread fast and wide due to his evangelization efforts.  Father Edward Fernandes was transferred from  in June 1950. Today, from 6 in the morning to 10 at night, streams of devotees pour in for 12 services held in English, Konkani, Marathi, Hindi and Tamil. These multi-lingual services testify to the immense popularity of the devotion. In fact, numerous parishes across the city such as  have adopted this novena for the convenience of their parishioners. Today, seven decades later, the devotion continues at .

The Philippines 
Our Lady of Perpetual Help is widely venerated by 菲律宾天主教 and 海外菲律賓人 communities. A German copy of the icon is venerated in the 巴克拉兰教堂 in , 馬尼拉大都會 – the country's centre of devotion to the icon. Since 1958, the Church has been authorized to remain open 24 hours a day.   Pope 若望保祿二世 once offered a  at the shrine as 樞機, and later prayed before the icon during his first pastoral visit to the country in February 1981.

The veneration of this icon is culturally unique to Philippine religiosity due to the absolute fact that all Catholic churches and petite chapels in the Philippines have a replica of the icon, often enshrined in a . Similar to the archetype of the 最后的晚餐 in a Filipino dining room, this enshrinement has been a culture phenomenon unique to all Filipino Catholic shrines and churches, even sometimes caricatured as a cultural 讽刺. The areas enshrined in this icon are either found in the  entrance of a church, a side altar or a freestanding chapel in a larger sized church.  Copies of the icon can also be found in countless houses, businesses, and even public utility vehicles.

Every Wednesday, many congregations hold services where they publicly recite the 玫瑰经 and , along with a priest delivering  and celebrating a  in its honor. Devotees today still use the same Novena booklet first published by 爱尔兰岛 Redemptorists, who introduced the icon and its devotion to the Philippines in the early 1900s. The Filipino Diaspora continue keeping the Wednesday Novena, holding novena services in their respective parishes overseas.

In Saint John the Baptist Parish, , the feast of the image is held on April 27 instead of the usual liturgical date. The 48 sub-chapels in the parish participate in the annual feast, while every 27th month has each chapel's respective congregations holding a procession of the icon. This form of devotion began in 1923 when two missionary priests, a Dutchman named Thomas and a German named Jorge, brought the icon to the town. The original icon can still be seen in a chapel of the parish; its reverse bears a Latin inscription attesting to its dedication.

In the 新怡詩夏省 province, Our Lady of Perpetual Help is widely venerated. Yearly, a first-class relic is exposed to the faithful from June 18 until June 27.

United States 
In 1878, the 永援圣母朝圣地圣殿 in 波士顿, obtained a certified copy of the icon being the first in the 美国. Between 1927 and 1935, the first American novena service dedicated to the icon was recited in  in 圣路易斯 (密苏里州), and various other Redemptorist stations around the United States.

There is a shrine  in Manhattan; and at the 布鲁克林永援圣母圣殿 and Ybor City, Tampa, Florida.

Patronage 
The town of Almoradí in the 巴倫西亞自治區 of 西班牙 invokes the patronage of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. In 1918, the son of the Marquis of Ríoflorido, José Carlos, fell ill with 胸膜炎. His mother, Lady Desamparado Fontes, fed him a silk fabric cloth touched to the icon of Perpetual Help in Rome, which resulted in instantaneous healing later claimed to be miraculous. As a token of thanksgiving, Fontes officially donated funds to begin the Confraternity of Almoradí. On 29 May 1919, Our Lady of Perpetual Help was officially enthroned in Saint Andrew's Parish as the official patroness of the town. In 1945, 庇護十二世 confirmed this patronage by a pontifical decree. On its 50th anniversary in 1969, a public diocesan coronation of this image was held, directed by the town mayor and its authorities, with the crowns made by  artist José David.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help is also the principal 主保聖人 of Haiti. According to Roman Catholic 主教 , former  埃利·莱斯科 and his cabinet petitioned the 聖座 to make Our Mother of Perpetual Help the Patroness of Haiti in 1942. Many Haitians credit the Virgin Mary under this title with performing miracles to prevent a 天花 outbreak which ravaged the country in 1882. The Holy See approved the request for patronage under the Pontificate of 庇護十二世. Our Lady of Perpetual Help is also present in numerous Haitian public stamps used by the Office des Postes d'Haiti. In January 2010, 本篤十六世 invoked Our Lady of Perpetual Help for Haiti's earthquake relief through Archbishop .

Our Lady of Perpetual Help is also the patroness of the 天主教萨利纳教区, 堪薩斯州 in the United States, of the 天主教米杜士堡教區 & the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds in England, and of the Catholic Diocese of Issele-Uku in Nigeria.

象徵 

 圣母头巾上的星星：玛利亚是光耀海星，带着基督的光明来到这个黑暗的世界，引领我们稳渡世海安全停靠在天堂彼岸。
 聖像畫的上半部左右處各描绘著拿着长枪和插著浸过醋的海绵的長竿，以及另一名拿著十字架和铁钉的兩位天使。而二位天使頭上也各自有其名稱的希臘文縮寫。
 圣母的臉部神情基於聖像畫傳統也各有象徵。小嘴代表无声的回忆，她在圣经中所言不多。圣母大大的双眼代表她足以看清我们所有的困苦，无论我们身在何处，她总是转向我们。
 红色袍子，在基督生活的年代，是童贞女才能穿的颜色。深蓝色的衣袍，在巴勒斯坦是母亲穿的颜色。玛利亚既是童贞又是母亲故名“童贞圣母”。
 基督的圣手，手掌向下紧握圣母。代表救赎的恩宠经由圣母保持——诸宠中保。
 希腊文“天主之母”。
 1867年，应圣座的要求，金色皇冠结合于原始的画像上，它代表了圣母显现的诸多圣迹，是“永援圣母”名称的由来。
 希腊文“耶稣基督”。
 圣母的左手完全支撑着耶稣，她是祂的母亲，这只手抚慰着任何有求于她的人。
 耶稣脚底悬着的凉鞋，也许代表着，奉献给圣母的（罪人的）灵魂，能在临终时有最后一线希望把握基督（的救恩）。圣像的背景是金色的，象征着天堂。耶稣和圣母在那里受享宝座与荣光。服装上闪耀的金色则象征天堂的喜乐，这喜乐可以安抚人们的疲惫心灵。

參見 

 
 玛利亚的称号
 
 耶稣的谱系
 
 
 聖母瑪利亞 (繪畫)
 
 聖母顯現
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 各地主保聖人列表
 圣母论
 圣母无染原罪（另参：原罪论）
 圣母卒世童贞（另参：耶稣的血亲）
 圣母蒙召升天
 天主教中的圣母玛利亚
 圣母圣心
 《玫瑰经》
 《圣母经》
 《又圣母经》
 圣母军 
潔貞頌

尊主頌

又聖母經
聖母悼歌

註

參考

引文

來源

延伸閱讀 
 Ferrero, Fabriciano. The Story of an Icon: The Full History, Tradition and Spirituality of the Popular Icon of Our Mother .., of Perpetual Help. Redemptorist Publications, 2001. .
 Milliner, Matthew, Mother of the Lamb: The Story of a Gloabal Icon, Fortress Press, 2022.  .

外部鏈接 
 

玛利亚的称号
拜占庭藝術
圣母玛利亚相关绘画作品
Perpetual Help
圣母子主题绘画作品
基督教肖像