Pope Leo XIV unveils fresco of himself in prayer at Genazzano shrine
The pope unveiled a fresco by artist Marco Innocenzi showing him praying before the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel during his September 7 visit to the basilica in Genazzano, Italy
Pope Leo XIV unveiled a fresco showing him in prayer before the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel during a visit to the basilica of the same name in Genazzano, Italy, on September 7. The visit fell on the eve of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the pope celebrated Mass afterward. The work, by the artist Marco Innocenzi, joins a series of portraits of popes who have visited the shrine throughout its history.
The fresco is now part of the decoration of the chapel that houses the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel. Devotion to her has been part of the pope's life since his youth.
Innocenzi is a painter and engraver and a former restorer at the Vatican Museums. The fresco fills the last available space in the Virgin's chapel, following a tradition of images honoring the popes who have made a pilgrimage to the shrine. The chapel holds portraits of Urban VIII, who visited Genazzano in 1630, and of Pius IX, John XXIII and St. John Paul II, all of them closely tied to Our Lady of Good Counsel.
Pope Leo XIV's devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel
The devotion dates to the pope's entry into the Augustinian order in Chicago, where he was given the name of Our Lady of Good Counsel. It grew during his formation in Rome, when he visited the shrine often. Two days after his election, he chose Genazzano for his first public appearance outside the Vatican and entrusted the beginning of his ministry to Mary.
The fresco shows the pope in profile, looking toward the Virgin. Innocenzi worked through several sketches before settling on the design. The prie-dieu at which the pope kneels carries the coat of arms of Leo XIII, who was also devoted to Our Lady of Good Counsel and raised the shrine to the rank of minor basilica in 1903.
The artistic process
Innocenzi, who has taught fresco painting at the Vatican Museums, said he saw the commission as both an artistic and a spiritual challenge. He used traditional techniques and had to plan carefully around the fresco's high position on the chapel wall. Each section was painted in a single day, a method that demands precision and skill.
He worked closely with the community of Augustinian fathers during the project and thanked them for their support. He also credited Fabiola Mercandetti, who assisted him, and others who helped at different stages of the work.
The shrine
This year marks the 130th anniversary of Leo XIII's proclamation of Our Lady of Good Counsel as patroness of Albania, which has led to the basilica being declared a Jubilee Church.
