Our Lady of Perpetual Help was protected and venerated for centuries: Feast Day is June 27th
How the Augustinians rescued the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help When Napoleon invaded Rome (in 1812) , the Augustinians (Pope Leo's religious order) saved the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help from destruction. Reported in Aleteia by Philip Kosloski One of the best known and most beloved icons in the Western Church is the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help . It's featured in many Roman-rite Catholic churches, and many Catholics have a devotion to this "miracle" icon. It has a fascinating history , one that involves its rescue from destruction by a group of Augustinian monks, the same religious order that Pope Leo XIV is a member of. While the current church where it is located is staffed by the Redemptorists, previously the image was kept in a church that was run for many centuries by Augustinians. Saved from destruction When Napoleon invaded Rome in 1812, he destroyed the church of San Matteo, which was between St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran. It was a churc...