Mater Admirabilis

Mater Admirabilis

This serene image of Our Lady, spinning and meditating, was painted by an inexperienced young French girl in 1844. The Mother Superior of Trinita dei Monti, a monastery at the top of the Spanish Steps in Rome, had reluctantly given her permission to paint it in an alcove of a corridor of the convent of the Religious of the Sacred Heart. When it was finished, however, the fresco colors were so bright that it was hidden from sight with a curtain.

Two years later, on October 20th, Pope Pius IX was visiting the convent and looked behind the curtain. "Mater Admirabilis!" the Pope exclaimed. The painting had been transformed into one with beautiful soft colours. With her new name, Our Lady began to grant favours and work miracles. Copies of this painting are now found in every Sacred Heart School around the world.