Discover the story of the Virgin of Covid (VIDEO)

Last year, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, an image surprised the city of Venice and began to make itself known all over the world: the Virgin of Covid.

It is an image painted by the artist María Terzi showing the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus - both with masks - and is inspired by maternal representations typical of African art. The painting conveys a beautiful feeling of maternal protection that the artist wanted to echo.

During the worst moments of the pandemic, in May 2020, the image suddenly appeared in the "Sotoportego della Peste". It is a sort of corridor that connects two streets where, according to tradition, the Virgin appeared in 1630 to protect the inhabitants of the area from the plague, ordering them to hang on the walls a painting depicting her image, that of San Rocco, San Sebastiano and Santa Giustina.

It should be remembered that the image is not a Marian invocation declared by the church nor does it claim to be, it is a work of art that has tried to accompany the faithful in a difficult moment.

Today that portico has been transformed into a passage chapel. The image of the Virgin of Covid, which evokes the protection of Mary in the plague of 1630, is accompanied by the following description:

“This is for us, for our history, for our art, for our culture; for our city! From the terrible plagues of the past to the most modern pandemics of the New Millennium, Venetians are once again united in asking for the protection of our city ”.

Source: ChurchPop.es.