Genoa · Portofino · Riviera
Hand-painted sacred icons for Genoa and Liguria
Genoa keeps one of the most precious images of the Christian East in Italy: the Holy Face of San Bartolomeo degli Armeni, a Mandylion that came from Constantinople in the 14th century. From the city to the Riviera, the icon has a history of more than six centuries here.
The Holy Face of Genoa
In the church of San Bartolomeo degli Armeni the Holy Face, the Genoese «Santo Mandillo», has been venerated for more than 650 years: a Mandylion brought from Constantinople in the 14th century by Leonardo Montaldo, later Doge of Genoa, kept in a precious Byzantine frame of gilded silver and enamel. It is the same image «not made by human hands» from which the whole art of the icon is born.
Along the coast, from the abbey of San Fruttuoso to Camogli and the sanctuaries overlooking the sea, Liguria has interwoven faith and landscape for centuries.
For villas and homes on the Riviera
From Genoa to Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure and Rapallo, from Alassio to Sanremo, a hand-painted icon finds its place in the entrance of a seaside villa, in the family chapel or in the study. Concetta Basile paints it entirely by hand, fully gilded with 23¾ karat gold: the gold ground answers the light of the sea.
The first conversation can take place online or in person. We ship worldwide: the icon is delivered with protective packaging and, on request, insured shipping, together with its certificate of authenticity on real parchment with photographs of every stage and its explanatory booklet in Italian or English. Shipping conditions are checked case by case at the time of commission.
The Holy Face
Composition with humanity's journey towards eternity.
Bright spaces
Icon in a light-filled room.
Frequently asked questions
Can I commission a Holy Face icon like the one in Genoa?
Yes: the Holy Face (Mandylion) is one of the subjects you can commission from Concetta Basile, according to the Byzantine canon.