Acheiropoieta

Acheiropoieta (Greek): image not made by human hands.

My favorite acheiropoieta is the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Juan Diego's tilma. It's so beautiful:

For those of you who don't know at all what I am talking about, Our Lady (that is, Mary) appeared to a native Mexican man, Juan Diego, in Mexico in the year 1531. To make a very long, and beautiful, story short, in order to prove to the Bishop that he had indeed seen her, Our Lady showed Juan Diego Castilian roses, roses from the Bishop's region of Spain, that would not have bloomed in Mexico. Juan Diego placed the roses in his cloak, or tilma, and brought them to the Bishop. When he opened his tilma the flowers fell out revealing a miraculous image of Our Lady (the image above). The image is therefore an acheiropoieta, not made by human hands. Our Lady's appearance to Juan Diego, and the image on the tilma itself brought, and still bring, thousands of people to a belief in Jesus Christ, the Blessed Mother's precious son, and His Church. This beautiful acheiropoieta now resides in the Basilica de Guadalupe in Mexico City.

I've always loved the image, and Guadalupe is probably my favorite Marian Apparition (even though she appeared in my motherland). Recently, I discovered this very cool painting from the eighteenth century, of the Guadalupe acheiropoieta, being made, not by human hands, but by the Divine Artist. I think it is so beautiful. I love how God the Son is leaned in giving God the Father tips on just how to paint His Mother just right.