The Holy Icon
The Shrine of Our Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, Italy, is home to the beloved Marian icon that has inspired devotion for centuries. This holy place, rich in history and faith, stands where a temple once honored the goddess Venus. In ancient times, every April 25, the Romans gathered there—patricians and plebeians, masters and servants alike—to celebrate the feast of Venus in great festivity.
But with the light of Christ came transformation. During the reign of Pope Sixtus III in the fifth century, a shrine was built in honor of the Blessed Mother, for the people of Genazzano had generously offered a portion of their resources to help restore the great Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. In return, they were blessed with a sanctuary of their own—dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God.
Through the centuries, countless hearts have found comfort and guidance within its walls. In this sacred place, one feels the tender truth the Church has always proclaimed: to reach Jesus, one goes through Mary — Ad Iesum per Mariam.
In 1356, Prince Pietro Giordano Colonna, whose noble family held lordship over the city, entrusted the church to the care of the Augustinian friars. According to the notarial deed drawn up at the time, the church already bore the name Santa Maria del Buon Consiglio and served as a parish for the faithful.
As the years passed, the church fell into disrepair, and the friars began the arduous task of rebuilding it. Among their benefactors was a devout and wealthy widow, Petruccia di Nocera. Restoring the church became the great mission of her life. Moved by deep faith and love for the Blessed Virgin, she gave freely of her home and her modest resources to support the work.
Though progress was slow and the townspeople mocked her efforts, Petruccia remained steadfast. Her faith never wavered. Again and again, she would say with quiet conviction that the work would one day be completed — for Almighty God, through the intercession of Saint Augustine and the Blessed Virgin Mary, would surely bless her humble labors with success beyond imagining.
On April 25, 1467, at the hour of Vespers, the people of Genazzano were startled by the sound of a heavenly melody drifting through the air. Looking upward, they beheld a radiant white cloud descending upon the church of Our Mother of Good Counsel, while the church bells rang out in a mysterious, unbidden peal. As the luminous cloud slowly faded, it revealed a breathtaking image of the Blessed Virgin tenderly holding her Divine Son in her arms.
A hush fell over the crowd, followed by tears and cries of joy. “A miracle! Long live Mary, our Mother of Good Counsel!” they exclaimed. The humble townsfolk — mostly peasants — were certain that this wondrous image had come from heaven itself, a gift of divine mercy and love for all who would seek her counsel and protection.
News of the miracle spread swiftly throughout the land, rekindling the faith of the people of Genazzano and far beyond. Pilgrims came in great numbers from neighboring towns and distant provinces, forming long processions to venerate the wondrous image of Our Mother of Good Counsel. Countless cures, conversions, and consolations were soon reported, carefully documented by the local church authorities. Between April 27 and August 14, 1467, alone, one hundred sixty-one miracles were officially recorded.
Encouraged and renewed in spirit, the people rallied around Petruccia, and through their united devotion, the church and convent were finally completed. Centuries later, the shrine continued to draw the faithful and even the popes themselves. In 1630, Pope Urban VIII made a pilgrimage to Genazzano to implore the protection of the Queen of Heaven, followed in 1864 by Pope Pius IX. On November 17, 1682, Pope Innocent XI solemnly crowned the sacred icon, sealing forever the Church’s recognition of this beloved image as a sign of Mary’s maternal care for all her children.
Meanwhile, two Albanians from Scutari, Giorgio and De Sclavis, arrived in Genazzano bearing an astonishing story. They had fled their homeland to escape the advancing Turkish forces. Before their departure, they had visited their parish church in Scutari, where they witnessed a wondrous sight: the revered icon of Our Lady, long venerated on its wall for two centuries, became enveloped in a radiant white cloud and lifted away before their very eyes.
Drawn by faith and wonder, the two men followed the mysterious cloud. It guided them across the Adriatic Sea, allowing them, as tradition tells, to walk upon the waters. By day, the cloud shaded them from the scorching sun; by night, it glowed with light—like the pillar of fire that led the Israelites through the desert. Their journey carried them over mountains and rivers, through valleys and plains, until at last they beheld the distant towers of Rome. There, near the little church of Genazzano, the cloud vanished—and within the church, they found to their astonishment the same holy image they had seen depart from Scutari.
Word of this marvel soon reached Rome. Pope Paul II ordered an investigation, sending two bishops to examine the report. The papal commission confirmed that in the church at Scutari, the spot where the image had hung was now empty. The icon—painted on a sheet of plaster so thin that it could not have been removed by human hands without breaking—was indeed gone.
Through the centuries, the church of Genazzano would endure trials of its own. It survived the shock of several earthquakes and even the devastation of World War II, when bombs destroyed altars, collapsed walls, and shattered the roof. Yet, miraculously, the sacred image—only a few yards from the explosion—remained untouched.
Petruccia di Nocera, having lived to see her deepest hopes fulfilled, passed peacefully into eternal rest in 1470, revered by all. The Augustinian friars, ever grateful for her faith and perseverance, laid her to rest at the feet of the beloved Madonna. Above her tomb they placed an inscription, bearing witness to the humble woman whose unwavering trust had helped bring to completion the great work that God had begun in Genazzano.
THE ICON DESCRIBED
Measuring approximately 15 ½ by 17 ½ inches, the icon of Our Lady of Good Counsel is a delicate fresco painted on a thin layer of plaster. It portrays the Blessed Mother half-turned toward her Divine Son and half toward the viewer. The Christ Child rests gently on Mary’s left arm as she inclines her head toward Him; their cheeks meet in a tender embrace — a moment suspended in pure maternal love.
The sacred image follows the style of one of the most venerated Byzantine icons of the Theotokos, known as the Eleousa or Glykophilousa — the “Madonna of Tenderness.” Two golden halos encircle their heads, each framed by soft iridescence. Their faces radiate an ineffable sweetness: Mary’s features form a perfect oval; her eyes are deep and expressive, her brows fine, her lips delicate, her hair softly parted into two waves of light brown gold. The Child’s face glows with life — rounded and rosy, His gaze bright and full of vitality. Though lovingly pressed against His Mother, He carries the quiet majesty of the Divine.
Mary’s expression reveals the serene joy of a mother who finds her fullness in the presence of her Child. Yet her gaze extends beyond Him — to us. In her eyes shines both maternal tenderness and intercession: she receives our prayers and bears them to her Son. This is the mystery of her role as Mediatrix of Grace. The Child’s small hand gently grasps the edge of her robe — a gesture of intimacy and trust. His eyes, however, are lifted upward to the Father, while hers look downward upon humanity. Thus, we look to her; she looks to Him; and He looks to the Most Holy Trinity — a silent dialogue of love between heaven and earth.
Mary is clothed in a simple veil, the traditional garment of Jewish women — a sign of humility, purity, and reverence. Her mantle of blue symbolizes peace, understanding, and patience — the color of heaven and of the Mother of God. The Child Jesus is robed in red, the color of humanity and divine love, foreshadowing the passion and life-giving sacrifice He will one day offer for the world. Behind them, the background shines in gold — the eternal light of heaven, where all time and space dissolve before the radiance of the Divine. In every golden hue, every gentle line, the viewer is invited not only to admire but to pray, to listen, and to love.
THE MADONNA OF POPES
Through the centuries, many popes have shown deep devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel. Pope Saint Pius V attributed the victory at the Battle of Lepanto to her powerful intercession. In 1727, Pope Benedict XIII granted the clergy of Genazzano the privilege of celebrating a special Office and Mass in honor of Our Lady every April 25, the anniversary of her miraculous apparition. Elsewhere, the feast was observed a day later so as not to coincide with that of Saint Mark the Evangelist.
In 1753, Pope Benedict XIV approved the establishment of the Pious Union of Our Lady of Good Counsel for the faithful throughout the world and humbly enrolled himself as its first member — a devotion later shared by Popes Pius IX and Leo XIII. On December 18, 1779, Pope Pius VI renewed and deepened this devotion, granting the Augustinian Order an Office with hymns, lessons, prayers, and a proper Mass of double-major rite, together with a plenary indulgence for the faithful — to which Pope Pius VIII would later add another for pilgrims who visited the shrine.
Pope Leo XIII, in turn, strengthened this Marian devotion by approving a new Office and Mass of second-class rite for all Augustinians on December 18, 1884. He further elevated the church of Santa Maria in Genazzano to the dignity of a minor basilica on March 17, 1903, and shortly after, on April 22, authorized the inclusion of the invocation Mater Boni Consilii (“Mother of Good Counsel”) in the Litany of Loreto, immediately following Mater Admirabilis. Earlier, in 1893, he had approved the wearing of the White Scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel for the faithful.
In modern times, devotion to the Madonna of Good Counsel has continued to inspire the hearts of popes. Pope Pius XII entrusted his entire pontificate to her maternal guidance. Pope Saint John XXIII visited the shrine to pray for light and counsel before announcing the Second Vatican Council. Pope Saint John Paul II kept her image in his private chapel as a constant reminder of Mary’s presence in his ministry. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had an icon of Our Lady of Good Counsel installed in the Vatican Gardens, where he prayed the rosary before her. And in 2020, during his Regina Caeli message on Good Shepherd Sunday, Pope Francis invoked her assistance for the Church and for the world, continuing a long and tender tradition of papal devotion to the Mother who leads all hearts to her Son.
An Augustinian friar himself, Pope Leo XIV has shown profound love and devotion to Our Mother of Good Counsel. Early in his pontificate, he made a pilgrimage to her Shrine in Genazzano, where he entrusted his papal ministry to her maternal care and protection. During his Inaugural Mass, the revered icon of Our Lady of Good Counsel was given a place of honor — a visible sign of the Holy Father’s deep trust in the Mother who guides the Church with wisdom and tenderness.
SAINT-DEVOTEES
Throughout the centuries, many saints have shown deep devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel. Among them are Saints Aloysius Gonzaga, Alphonsus Liguori, Paul of the Cross, Benedict Joseph Labre, Luigi Orione, and Teresa of Calcutta, as well as Blessed Pope Pius IX. Saint John Bosco himself journeyed from Rome to Genazzano to seek Our Lady’s guidance as he began the foundation of the Salesian Congregation. The holy Blessed Stefano Bellesini, once parish priest of Genazzano, was laid to rest holding the frame of the beloved image of Our Mother.
Across the world, countless churches, schools, and institutions bear the name of Our Lady of Good Counsel, a living testimony to her enduring presence and the faithful’s confidence in her motherly guidance.
OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL IN THE PHILIPPINES
In the Philippines, devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel took root in the early 20th century. The first institution placed under her patronage was the Colegio del Buen Consejo in Pasig, founded in 1909 by the Augustinian Sisters of Our Lady of Consolation. In 1950, the Mother of Good Counsel Seminary was established in Pampanga by the Most Rev. César María Guerrero, nurturing generations of priests under the Virgin’s maternal guidance.
In 1975, the first parish of Our Lady of Good Counsel in the Philippines was founded in the Diocese of Malaybalay. Four years later, in 1979, a second parish dedicated to her was established in Marcelo Green Village, Parañaque, through the pastoral vision of Jaime Cardinal Sin, then Archbishop of Manila. In 1983, a third parish in the Diocese of San Pablo was renamed in her honor, continuing the spread of devotion to the Mother of Good Counsel throughout the country.
On her feast day in 1998, the Monastery of the Mother of Good Counsel of the contemplative Augustinian Sisters was inaugurated in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan — a lasting witness to Mary’s loving presence and the growing devotion of the Filipino faithful to their heavenly Mother and guide.