OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL. Counsel is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Mary, the mother of God possesses that gift in its fullness and hence her title. Our Lady of Good Counsel. The Deepdene parish is the parish of Our Lady of Good Counsel. The shrine is located at Genazzano which is about 30 miles southeast of Rome. The link between the school and the Parish is firmly located at the shrine. The image of Our Lady is part of a fresco which is located at the Augustinian Church at Genazzano. A fresco is a painting on a thin sheet of plaster which is attached to the wall of the church. Parishioners will be familiar with the picture of Our Lady of Good Counsel which hangs on the wall of the church, near the altar. This is one image of the Patroness of the parish. This picture is one of the representations of Our Lady of Good Counsel. The more traditional representation can be seen in both the presbytery and the school. It is pictured below: The legend associated with this image is that it was miraculously transported to Genazzano from its home in Scutari, in Albania in order to evade the Turks. Two men claimed that they had followed the picture across the Adriatic Sea to Genazzano where it then appeared. News of this miracle meant that thousands of pilgrims flocked to Genazzano and many miracles were attributed to this image. However there is a less romantic version of events. Art experts believe that the fresco and the image of the Madonna is the work of fifteenth century artist Gentile da Fabriano. It is believed that he painted this fresco in the time of the Papacy of Martin V (141 7-3 1). At some later date the fresco was covered with a layer of plaster. In 1467 the Augustinians undertook to build a church on the site and structural work meant that part of the plaster fell, and the Madonna appeared. One striking aspect of the Fresco which has lent credence to the legend which surrounds it is that the upper portion of the image is separated from the wall and leans slightly forward. The fresco which is nothing more than a thin layer of plaster has survived for centuries in this precarious state even during the aerial bombardment of Genazzano during World War Two. Sometimes copies of this image are presented with a crown and necklace. They are not part of the picture but rather are just hanging in front of it. They were added by pilgrims at some point in the picture’s history. They have been removed for safe keeping. The image of Our Lady of Good Counsel has a remarkable history and continues to attract pilgrims today. Anne Mcllroy, May 1997