Santo Bambino di Aracœli Holy Child of Aracœli | |
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Location | Capitoline Hill |
Date | 15th century |
Witness | Franciscan friar Prince Alessandro Torlonia |
Type | Olive wood |
Approval | Pope Leo XIII Pope John Paul II |
Shrine | Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli |
The Santo Bambino of Aracœli ("Holy Child of Aracœli"), sometimes known as the Bambino Gesù di Aracœli ("Child Jesus of Aracœli") is a 15th-century Roman Catholic devotional replicated wooden image enshrined in the titular Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, depicting the Child Jesus[1] swaddled in golden fabric, wearing a crown, and adorned with various gemstones and jewels donated by devotees.
On 18 January 1894, Pope Leo XIII authorised its public devotion and granted a canonical coronation on 2 May 1897.[2] It was again blessed by Pope John Paul II on 8 January 1984. The image was purportedly stolen on 1 February 1994, then now replaced with a modern copy.