The Vilnius Version

The original Divine Mercy image painted by Eugene Kazimirowski in Vilnius, Poland. The image in its state shown here has overpainting on it. Source: www.faustyna.pl
A prayer card that miraculously made it's way through the Holocaust, hidden in a woman's shirt from the Nazis. The photo was taken before the actual painting was nearly destroyed in a fire. Source: The International Life and Mercy Crusade
Unveiling at Ostra Brama. Source: The Diary

On February 22, 1931, while staying in Plock, Sister Faustina received Jesus’ order to paint a picture according to the vision shown to her (cf. Diary 47). She tried to fulfill the command, but not knowing painting techniques, she was unable to do it by herself. Still, she did not give up the idea. She kept returning to it and sought help from other sisters and from her confessors.

A few years later her superiors sent her to Vilnius (Wilno), where her confessor, Rev. Prof. Michael Sopocko, interested to see what the picture of a hitherto unknown theme would look like, asked the painter Eugene Kazimierowski to paint the picture according to Sister Faustina’s directions.  This is the only image that was painted under her direction. Kazimirowski painted the original image between January and June of 1934. During this time St. Faustina had the artist change the face at least 10 times but was still not pleased with it. As St. Faustina writes, "Once, when I was visiting the artist who was painting the image, and saw that it was not as beautiful as Jesus is, I felt very sad about it, but I hid this deep in my heart. When we had left the artist’s house, Mother Superior [Irene] stayed in town to attend to some matters while I returned home alone. I went immediately to the chapel and wept a good deal. I said to the Lord, 'Who will paint You as beautiful as You are?' Then I heard these words: 'Not in the beauty of the color, nor of the brush lies the greatness of this image, but in My grace.' (Diary, 313)" The picture was finished in June 1934 and hung in the corridor of the Bernardine Sisters’ convent near St. Michael’s Church in Vilnius, where Father Sopocko was rector.

From April 26-28, 1935, during the celebrations concluding the Jubilee Year of the Redemption of the World, the image of The Divine Mercy was transferred to the Ostra Brama [“Eastern Gate” to the city of Vilnius] and placed in a high window so that it could be seen from far away. Here the image was seen for the first time by the public. By permission of Archbishop Romuald Jalbrzykowski, on April 4, 1937, the image was blessed and placed in the St. Michael’s Church in Vilnius.

 In 1944, a committee of experts was formed, at the order of Archbishop Jalbrzykowski, to evaluate the image. The experts’ opinion was the the image of The Divine Mercy, painted by E. Kazimierowski was artistically executed and an important contribution to contemporary religious art.

Regarding this image, Jesus said, "'My gaze from this image is like My gaze from the Cross.' (Diary, 326)" And in 1997, a member of the International Life and Mercy Crusade noticed that this Divine Mercy image and the Shroud of Turin correspond very well. Also, it is interesting that in the gospel of John (which is the only Gospel to contain the event of the piercing of Jesus' Sacred Heart) the passage "The Blood and Water" (John 19:31-37) comes directly before the passage "The Burial of Jesus" (John 19:38-42). For more on this amazing correspondence see the Shroud section.

The original image deteriorated but was restored in 2003. Goto the website of the The Congregation of the Sisters of the Merciful Jesus for more information regarding the restoration.
 

The Hyla Version

The Divine Mercy image by Adolf Hyla in the sisters' chapel of the convent of Our Lady of Mercy in Cracow-Lagiewniki, Poland. Source: Wikipedia
The Batkowski Version

In 1942, at the request of the sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, the painter Stanislas Kazcor Batkowski made, in Lvov, another image which was placed on the secondary furnace bridge in the chapel of the congregation in Warsaw, on Zytnia street. During the invasion of Warsaw, the chapel burned along with the image. The image by Batkowski had pleased everyone, which led the general mother of the Congregation to order from Batkowski a second image for the house of Cracow where the worship of the Divine Mercy had spread already. This image was made and then moved to Cracow on October 16, 1943.

Meanwhile, the painter Adolf Hyla approached the superiors of the Cracow house asking to make another image for the chapel. He wanted to offer it as an ex-voto out of thanksgiving to God for having saved his family's lives during WWII. After having taken advice from the sisters and Father Joseph Andrasz SJ, Mother Irene Krzyzanowska suggested the idea that A. Hyla carries out the image of the Divine mercy according to the directives of Sister Faustina. So, A. Hyla obtained the description of the image copied from the newspaper as well as a small image reproduction of the image of E. Kazimirowski in order to carry out the image according to this information. Hyla begins painting in November 1942, and finishes in March 1943 and on March 7, 1943, it is solemnly blessed by Fr. Andrasz  in the sisters' chapel.

On October 6, 1943, the image of Batowski arrived. Then the question arose: Which one would remain in the chapel? This question was settled by Cardinal Sapièha during an unforeseen visit. After having looked at both, he declared: “Since the image of Hyla is the result of a prayer, it is this one which must remain in the sisters' chapel”. He blesses the image and hangs it. However, it was quickly realized that the image of A. Hyla was too large for the furnace bridge where it was placed during the Offices of Mercy. The superior of the house, Mother I. Krzyzanowska, ordered from A. Hyla a second image of the Merciful Jesus, whose size and form corresponded to the side furnace bridge.
 
June 7, 1997 - Pope John Paul II prays before the tomb of St. Faustina in Cracow. Source: The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion © Marian Press
May 27, 2006 - Pope Benedict XVI at the Basilica of Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki, Poland
The new Basilica of Divine Mercy next to the convent of Our Lady of Mercy in Cracow-Lagiewniki, Poland
On April 16, 1944, for the first time, the first Sunday after Easter is solemnly celebrated in this chapel in the honor of The Divine Mercy. Fr. Andrasz blesses the new image of A. Hyla. This image was known for many graces received through it, and its copies and variants were spread throughout the whole world. Thus is achieved God's desire expressed to St. Faustina during her first vision of the image in Plock: "I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the world. (Diary, 47)"

This image is still on the secondary furnace bridge, on the left of the main entrance, in the sisters' chapel in Our Lady of Mercy in Cracow-Lagiewniki. The image by Batowski was placed in the small church of the Divine mercy in Cracow, on Smolensk street. In 1946, the first image of A. Hyla, was taken to Wroclaw per Mother Irene Krzyzanowska, where it was placed in the church of God's Heart ("Serca Bożego") to which the house of the sisters was attached.

In 1954, Hyla's painting was deemed "non-liturgical" because of the background which was a country landscape. So, it was repainted with a dark background and with parquet under Jesus' feet.

Since then, many Hyla variations have been painted, including the "Blue Hyla". Pope John Paul II has said that the Hyla version is his favorite.

In 2002, the Basilica of Divine Mercy in Cracow-Lagiewniki was completed. The Basilica contains a Hyla-style Divine Mercy image which is very similar to the second image which Hyla painted which is located in the adjacent chapel.