The Veronica (Volto Santo) on Netflix

Ed. Note:  Thanks to Antonio Bini for his report and accompnying photos

On November 1, 2023, the documentary MYSTERIES OF FAITH will air on Netflix exploring the secrets of the most legendary treasures of Christianity - according to the production - which have inspired millions of people over the centuries. Relics steeped in myths and legends, credited with miracles, have shaped the history of humanity. Among these is the veil of Veronica, i.e., the Holy Face of Manoppello. An opportunity to explore the relationships between faith, history and mystery that promises to fascinate and enlighten audiences around the world.

The trailer for MYSTERIES OF FAITH, released in recent days on Netflix's You Tube channel, Mysteries of the Faith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCdZ1aAtt5I |anticipates the broadcast of the documentary and opens with the images and testimony of a woman Rossella Olivieri, a devotee of the Holy Face, who tells how her heart stopped for five minutes and then inexplicably started working again, to the disbelief of doctors.

The release of the documentary has been widely publicized, often with references to the Veronica. A circumstance that brings to mind the research conducted in recent years by Fr. Heinrich Pfeiffer, the first scholar to support the identification of the Manoppello veil with the Veronica.

Netflix is a leading global entertainment platform with more than 238 million subscribers in more than 190 countries. The work is placed in the perspective of the imminent Jubilee of 2025

The filming in Manoppello was carried out during the summer of 2022, by an Anglo-American crew who also operated with three cameramen simultaneously. Unfortunately, the filming was affected by the scaffolding that has occupied the façade of the basilica for over six years, as can be seen from the photo. Following the post-unification laws (1866), which expropriated the properties of various religious orders, including the Capuchins, the church belongs to the Italian State which has not yet carried out the necessary extraordinary maintenance works.