The Miraculous Image. From Absam
Let us allow Johann Puecher, Rosina’s brother, to recount for himself what took place in his father’s house in the year 1797. At the age of 76, he wrote down the following in the presence of two witnesses:
On the afternoon of 17 January 1797, my sister, a young woman of full age (note: 18 years old) named Rosina, was sewing at the table opposite the window in the ground-floor room. Then, suddenly – between 3 and 4 o’clock – she saw something that had never been seen before: an image of the Mother of God drawn on the pane of the inner window...
...She called out to her mother, who was also present but in another part of the room. The mother hurried over and was quite startled at first when she saw the image of the Blessed Virgin, as it occurred to her that some misfortune might have befallen my father or me in the salt mine where we were working. She therefore told Sister Rosina that we should say a prayer; which we did. After the prayer was over, my mother wiped the image away with a cloth, for it had only appeared briefly; but lo and behold, no sooner had she wiped it away than it reappeared just as before. The apparition of the image took place on a Tuesday, and on the following Thursday my father and I returned home safely from the mountain. With amazement and joy we saw what had happened in the meantime. On 17 January 1797, I was 16 years old and have kept a clear recollection of everything that took place." ,,
(The original of this account is in private ownership. It was reproduced in abridged form from the Parish Bulletin, 1955, No. 2.)
Scholars from the University of Innsbruck, the mathematician Franz von Zollinger, the professor of chemistry Dr Schöpfer, the famous fresco painter Josef Schöpf from Telfs, and the two master glaziers Schwänninger and Appeller examined the painting in the presence of representatives of ecclesiastical and secular authorities.
The report:
“Upon carrying out thorough examinations, using apothecary’s solutions, spirits and abrasives, as well as strong acids and waters, the image would indeed fade, but soon reappeared as before. The mirror polisher then endeavoured to remove it using his so-called ‘politura’, but to no avail, as the image was clearly visible once more, just as before, as soon as it had been cleaned with a wet sponge and dried.
Finally, the glazier Apeller made his attempt using moistened trippel (note: diatomaceous earth, mountain flour; a Tertiary-period mineral formerly used for grinding and polishing) and, using lead glass, polished one spot after another on the pane, with the result that perfectly clear and pure glass became visible in those places, whilst the image there disappeared and did not reappear."
The report concluded with the remark: “That, as a result of the investigation, a wholly natural cause might be presumed, and that a natural effect should not be regarded as equivalent to a miracle.” (Document in the parish archives of Absam and Thaur; taken from the parish newsletter 1952, No. 5)
The devout people of Absam and the whole of Tyrol remained undeterred. “Where the Son is, there must also be the Mother!” With these words, accompanied by the solemn ringing of all the bells, the people carried the miraculous image into the church in a procession. This took place on 24 June 1797.
At first, the image stood on the high altar; now it has its place – accessible to all – beneath the mural of the Gothic Madonna. Since then, countless pilgrims have come, and continue to come, to seek comfort and help from Our Lady of Absam.
