The Image of Divine Mercy: Visual Theology in Modern Catholicism

Abstract

The cult of Divine Mercy appeared in the first third of the 20^th century in Poland and thanks to the efforts of several priests and with the support of Pope John Paul II, it became popular in many Catholic countries. The cult is associated with the figure of the catholic visionary Saint Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938). She came from a poor family, did not receive any education (including theological), and took monasticism at the age of 21. From childhood, Faustina had visions in which Jesus Christ appeared to her. He spoke about God’s Mercy, the Chaplet of Mercy and asked his sister to help create the Image of God’s Mercy. After taking eternal vows, Faustina talks about the visions to her confessor, Fr. Michael Sopoćko, who first sends her for a psychiatric examination, and after making sure that her sister is healthy, he helps her in creating the Image. After the death of Faustina, a tradition of theology of mercy was formed within fifty years, which will become the basis of the pontificate of John Paul II. In this article, we consider only one side of the Veneration of Divine Mercy, namely the history of the creation of the Image of Jesus of Mercy from the first image, which was created with the direct participation of Sister Faustina Kowalska by the artist Eugeniusz Kazimirowski (1873–1939) before the variations of the Image, which were created in the 60s–80s of 20^th century. St. Faustina and her visions symbolize a new stage in catholic theology, and this applies not only to the appeal to Mercy, but also to the visual turn that has taken place. Description of the vision of St. Faustina is a kind of theological prescription, where there are obligatory characteristics (for example, a blessing hand and two rays that emanate from the chest), but different forms and variations of performance are allowed. At the same time, the figure of Sister Faustina Kowalska, the emergence of the “theology of the little man” and the theology of mercy, the visualization of compassion in the Image are a kind of forerunner of the changes in the Roman Catholic Church in the second half of the 20^th century and the policy of the pontiffs, starting with John Paul II.