e've seen hundreds of Immaculate Heart pictures, and we're glad for all of them, but few rival the beauty of this one. It was printed in the late 19th Century by G. Benziger of Switzerland for the Einsiedeln shrine, one of the great pilgrimages to Our Lady.

The colors, as always, grab us. But the demure expression of Mary is wonderful too. We find the picture just exquisite. It pairs with a Sacred Heart of Jesus which we intend to also offer in our shop. Benziger was a big printer of holy cards, and in our opinion, the only one who could match the great French holy card companies of the time in terms of beauty.

The devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary has a long history. According to EWTN, it became popular in the 17th Century through the work of St. John Eudes, a French priest who had a greet love of the Blessed Mother. By the 19th Century, the devotion was widespread throughout the Church.

Also according to EWTN, Jesus Himself appeared to Sr. Lucia, saying, "I want My Church to . . . put the devotion to this Immaculate Heart beside the devotion to My Sacred Heart."

The German at the bottom of the print is a a line from "Brockes Passion" by Handel. It's about the Passion of Christ.

In Liebe komm zu mir sofort
Auch mein Herz ward [archaic form of "wird"] vom Schwert durchbohrt.

Come to me at once in love
So is my heart pierced by the sword

Besides the years of looking for this, the actual restoration work took us several days total across March and April 2023. We love old Catholic lithographs. It is our joy to bring them to you.

** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a white border of about 0.5" inch for 5x7", 1.3" for 8.5x11", or 1.6" for 11x14" pictures. All Approx! Fine art printers do this because the images are almost never the same rectangular ratio of the standard paper sizes. It also gives the prints a finished look, and lets them look good in a frame without a matt.

- Acid-free paper
- Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
- Cardboard backer
- Above story of the art
- Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

Thanks for your interest!

Thanks!
Sue & John

"In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art." ~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson - CatholicArtAndJewelry.