STORPIATION, Healing of. - The Gospel of St. Luke narrates the miraculous healing of a woman who had been bent over for 18 years: « et erat inclinata nec omnino poterat sursum respicere » (13:10-13).

In the cemetery « inter duas lauros » the scene of this miracle worked by the Savior is represented in the interior of an arcosolium of a cubiculum from the first half of the 4th century. In the arcosolium the other representations also refer to women, namely the healing of the woman with the issue of blood, the conversation of the Redeemer with the Samaritan woman, and the deceased woman in prayer. The woman is represented bent over with her arms outstretched before her; the Lord holds the pallium with his left hand and, resting his left foot on a stone, bends toward the sick woman to lay his right hand on her head, healing her, exactly according to the Gospel text: « et imposuit illi manus et confestim erecta est » (Lk 13:13). This scene is the only one noted thus far in ancient Christian iconography; it has been reproduced at v. MIRACOLO, vol. VIII, cols. 1069-70.

Bibliography2 works

BIBL.: E. Josi, Scoporta nel cimit. dei SS. Marcellino e Pietro sulla Via Labicana, in Nuovo bull. arch. crist., 24-25 (1919-20), p. 82 and fig. 4; G. P. Kirsch, Un gruppo di cripte alpinite ined. del cimit. dei SS. Pietro e Marcellino, in Riv. arch. crist., 7 (1930), pp. 212-14 and fig. 4.

Enrico Josi

@incollection{ec11_storpia_guarigione_della, author = {Josi, Enrico}, title = {Storpia, guarigione della}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {XI}, pages = {1396}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1953}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/storpia-guarigione-della} }

One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.

Storpiation, Healing of

About this entry