In the fifteenth century, a beautiful and mysterious painting of Our Lady and the Christ Child, thought to have been painted by angels, was housed in the church of Scutari, Albania. The Albanians had kept the Catholic Faith for centuries but were being threatened by the ever-expanding empire of the Ottoman Turks. This Islamic menace was halted by the valiant leadership of Skanderbeg, an Albanian prince. He blocked the scimitar of the Sultan and shielded the Faithful from persecution. However, upon the death of Skanderbeg in 1468, the Albanians lost their protection. The Turks penetrated the defenses of Albania and imposed their brutal reign.

The much-revered painting of Our Lady and the Christ Child was miraculously spared from desecration at the hands of the Turks. One year before the death of Skanderbeg, this glorious image detached itself from the wall of the church and rose into the air. Two Albanians, awe-struck at the sight, followed the painting as it flew across the sky towards Italy. On this astounding journey, they were permitted to walk on water, trailing the image across the Adriatic Sea. Once in Italy, the image disappeared into a cloud and was hidden from their sight.

A short time later, in the town of Genazzano, Italy, the residents were astonished to hear heavenly melodies coming from a glorious cloud. The image, carried on this cloud, descended and came to rest on an unfinished church wall to the miraculous and simultaneous ringing of the town’s church bells.

There are no coincidences in Heaven’s plans. In ancient times, the location on which the image descended was once a pagan temple to Venus. In early Christian times, a church dedicated to Our Lady was also built on that same spot. Upon the painting's arrival, the new church was finished that has housed the image of Our Lady of Good Counsel even to our present day. The image is still floating, suspended mid-air a short distance from the church wall, and has been the cause of numerous miracles over the centuries.