Wikipedia

Stations of the Cross

For other uses, seeStations of the Cross (disambiguation).
"Via Crucis" redirects here. For other uses, seeVia Crucis (disambiguation).

TheStations of the Crossor theWay of the Cross,also known as theWay of Sorrowsor theVia Crucis,are a series of images depictingJesus Christon the day ofhis crucifixionand accompanyingprayers.The stations grew out of imitations of theVia DolorosainJerusalem,which is a traditional processional route symbolising the path Jesus walked toMount Calvary.The objective of the stations is to help the Christian faithful to make a spiritualpilgrimagethrough contemplation of thePassion of Christ.It has become one of the most popular devotions and the stations can be found in manyWestern Christianchurches, including those in theRoman Catholic,[1]Lutheran,[2][3]Anglican,[4]andMethodisttraditions.[5][6]

The 12th Station of the Cross: Jesus dies on the Cross –St. Raphael's Cathedral (Dubuque, Iowa)

Commonly, a series of 14 images will be arranged in numbered order along a path, along which worshippers—individually or in a procession—move in order, stopping at each station to say prayers and engage in reflections associated with that station. These devotions are most common duringLent,especially onGood Friday,and reflect aspirit of reparationfor the sufferings and insults that Jesus endured during his passion.[7][8][9]As a physical devotion involving standing, kneeling and genuflections, the Stations of the Cross are tied with the Christian themes ofrepentanceandmortification of the flesh.[1][10]

The style, form, and placement of the stations vary widely. The typical stations are small plaques withreliefsor paintings placed around a churchnave.Modern minimalist stations can be simple crosses with a numeral in the centre.[7][11]Occasionally, the faithful might say the stations of the cross without there being any image, such as when the pope leads the stations of the cross around theColosseuminRomeon Good Friday.[12]

History

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Three chapels ofVerkiai Calvary
Station of the Cross near theShrine of Our Lady of Fátima,inPortugal
“The way of the Cross” byGennadiy Jerszow- 14 relief images (bronze)Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.Gdańsk,Poland
Outdoor station inJiřetín pod Jedlovou
Typical indoor placement along the nave (Hong Kong Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception)

The Stations of the Cross originated from thepilgrimagetoJerusaleminRoman Judaeaand a desire to reproduce theVia Dolorosa.Imitating holy places was not a new concept. For example, the religious complex ofSanto StefanoinBologna,Italy,replicated theChurch of the Holy Sepulchreand other religious sites, including theMount of Olivesand theValley of Josaphat.[13]

Following thesiege of 1187,Jerusalem fell to the forces ofSaladin,the first sultan of Egypt and Syria. Forty years later, members of theFranciscanreligious order were allowed back into theHoly Land.Their founder,Francis of Assisi,held the Passion of Christ in special veneration and is said to have been the first person to receivestigmata.[14]In 1217, Francis also founded theCustody of the Holy Landto guard and promote the devotion to Christian holy places. The Franciscans' efforts were recognized whenPope Clement VIofficially proclaimed them the custodians of holy places in 1342.[14]Although several travelers who visited the Holy Land during the 12–14th centuries (e.g.Riccoldo da Monte di Croce,Burchard of Mount Sion,andJames of Verona), mention a "Via Sacra", i.e. a settled route that pilgrims followed, there is nothing in their accounts to identify this with the Way of the Cross, as we understand it.[15]The earliest use of the word "stations", as applied to the accustomed halting-places along the Via Sacra at Jerusalem, occurs in the narrative of an English pilgrim,William Wey,who visited the Holy Land in the mid-15th century and described pilgrims following the footsteps of Christ toGolgotha.In 1521, a book calledGeystlich Strass(German: "spiritual road" ) was printed with illustrations of the stations in the Holy Land.[15]

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Franciscans began to build a series of outdoor shrines in Europe to duplicate their counterparts in the Holy Land. The number of stations at these shrines varied between seven and thirty; seven was common. These were usually placed, often in small buildings, along the approach to a church, as in a set of 1490 byAdam Kraft,leading to the Johanniskirche inNuremberg.[16]A number of rural examples were established as attractions in their own right, usually on attractive wooded hills. These include theSacro Monte di Domodossola(1657) andSacro Monte di Belmonte(1712), and form part of theSacri Monti of Piedmont and LombardyWorld Heritage Site, together with other examples on different devotional themes. The sculptures at these sites are very elaborate and often nearly life-size. Remnants of these sites are often referred to ascalvary hills.

In 1686, in answer to their petition,Pope Innocent XIgranted to the Franciscans the right to erect stations within their churches. In 1731,Pope Clement XIIextended to all churches the right to have the stations, provided that a Franciscan father erected them, with the consent of the localbishop.At the same time the number of stations was fixed at fourteen. In 1857, the bishops of England were allowed to erect the stations by themselves, without the intervention of a Franciscan priest, and in 1862 this right was extended to bishops throughout the church.[17]

Stations

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A set of the traditional 14 scenes fromPortuguese Church, Kolkata
A set of the traditional 14 scenes inLimoges enamel
The Resurrection of Jesus at the Saint Mary Rawaseneng Prayer Garden, in theRawaseneng Monastery,Indonesia

The early set of seven scenes was usually numbers 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11 and 14 from the list below.[16]From the late 16th century to the present, the standard complement has consisted of 14 pictures or sculptures depicting the following scenes:[18][19][20]

  1. Jesus is condemned to death
  2. Jesus takes up his Cross
  3. Jesus falls the first time
  4. Jesus meets hisMother
  5. Simon of Cyrenehelps Jesus carry the Cross
  6. Veronicawipes the face of Jesus
  7. Jesus falls for the second time
  8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
  9. Jesus falls for the third time
  10. Jesus is stripped of his garments (sometimes called the "Division of Robes" )
  11. Jesus is nailed to the Cross
  12. Jesus dies on the Cross
  13. Jesus istaken down from the Cross
  14. Jesus is laid in the tomb

Although not traditionally part of the Stations, theResurrection of Jesusis sometimes included as an unofficial fifteenth station.[dubious–discuss][21][22]One very different version, called the Via Lucis ( "Way of Light" ), comprising the FourteenStations of LightorStations of the Resurrection,starts with Jesus rising from the dead and ends withPentecost.[23]

Scriptural form

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Main article:Scriptural Way of the Cross

Out of the fourteen traditional Stations of the Cross, only eight have a clear scriptural foundation. Station 4 appears out of order from scripture; Jesus's mother is present at the crucifixion but is only mentionedafter Jesus is nailed to the cross and before he dies(between stations 11 and 12). The scriptures contain no accounts whatsoever of any woman wiping Jesus's face nor of Jesus falling as stated in Stations 3, 6, 7 and 9. Station 13 (Jesus's body being taken down off the cross andlaid in the arms of his mother Mary) differs from the gospels' record, which states thatJoseph of Arimatheatook Jesus down from the cross and buried him.

To provide a version of this devotion more closely aligned with the biblical accounts,Pope John Paul IIintroduced a new form of devotion, called theScriptural Way of the Cross,onGood Friday1991. He celebrated that form many times but not exclusively at theColosseumin Italy,[24][25]using the following sequence (as published by the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops):[26]

  1. Jesus prays in the Garden ofGethsemane;
  2. Jesus isbetrayed by Judasandarrested;
  3. Jesus iscondemned by the Sanhedrin;
  4. Jesus isdenied by Peterthree times;
  5. Jesus isjudged by Pilate;
  6. Jesus is scourgedandcrowned with thorns;
  7. Jesustakes up his cross;
  8. Jesus is helped bySimon of Cyreneto carry his cross;
  9. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem;
  10. Jesus is crucified;
  11. Jesus promises his kingdom to therepentant thief;
  12. Jesusentrusts Mary and John to each other;
  13. Jesus dies on the cross; and
  14. Jesus is laid in the tomb.

In 2007,Pope Benedict XVIapproved this set of stations for meditation and public celebration.[27][28]

The New Way of the Cross (Philippines)

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Another set of Stations are being used by theCatholic Church in the Philippines.Filipinos use this set duringVisita Iglesia,which is usually done every Holy Week.

  1. The Last Supper
  2. The Agony in Gethsemane
  3. Jesus Before the Sanhedrin
  4. Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns
  5. Jesus Receives His Cross
  6. Jesus Falls under the weight of the Cross
  7. Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus carry the Cross
  8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
  9. Jesus is nailed to the Cross
  10. The Repentant Thief
  11. Mary and John at the Foot of the Cross
  12. Jesus dies on the Cross
  13. Jesus is laid in His Tomb
  14. Jesus rises from the Dead

Modern usage

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Station 5:Simon of Cyrenehelps Jesus carry the Cross,Good Fridayprocession 2011 atUlm,Germany

In the Roman Catholic Church, the devotion may be conducted personally by the faithful, making their way from one station to another and saying the prayers, or by having an officiating celebrant move from cross to cross while the faithful make the responses. The stations themselves must consist of, at the very least, fourteen wooden crosses—pictures alone do not suffice—and they must be blessed by someone with the authority to erect stations.[29]

Pope John Paul IIled an annual public prayer of the Stations of the Cross at the RomanColosseumon Good Friday. Originally, the pope himself carried the cross from station to station, but in his last years when age and infirmity limited his strength, John Paul presided over the celebration from a stage on thePalatine Hill,while others carried the cross. Just days prior to his death in 2005, Pope John Paul II observed the Stations of the Cross from his private chapel. Each year a different person is invited to write the meditation texts for the Stations. Past composers of the Papal Stations include several non-Catholics. The pope himself wrote the texts for theGreat Jubileein 2000 and used the traditional Stations.

The celebration of the Stations of the Cross is especially common on the Fridays of Lent, especially Good Friday. Community celebrations are usually accompanied by various songs and prayers. Particularly common as musical accompaniment is theStabat Materof which a few verses are sung between each station. At the end of each station theAdoramus Teis sometimes sung. The Alleluia is also sung, except during Lent.

Structurally,Mel Gibson's 2004 film,The Passion of the Christ,follows the Stations of the Cross.[30]

Debates

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Place of Christ's resurrection

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Some modern liturgists[31]say the traditional Stations of the Cross are incomplete without a final scene depicting theempty tomband theresurrection of Jesusbecause Jesus' rising from the dead was an integral part of his salvific work on Earth. Advocates of the traditional form of the Stations ending with the body of Jesus being placed in the tomb say the Stations are intended as a meditation on theatoningdeath of Jesus, and not as a complete picture of his life, death, and resurrection. Another point of contention, at least between some ranking liturgists and traditionalists, is (the use of) the "New Way of the Cross" being recited exclusively in the Philippines and by Filipinos abroad.

TheStations of the Resurrection(also known by the Latin name ofVia Lucis,Way of Light) are used in some churches atEastertideto meditate on the Resurrection andAscension of Jesus Christ.

Music

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Franz Lisztwrote aVia Crucisfor choir, soloists and piano or organ or harmonium in 1879. In 1931, French organistMarcel Dupréimprovised and transcribed musical meditations based on fourteen poems byPaul Claudel,one for each station. Peter Maxwell Davies'sVesalii Icones(1969), for male dancer, solo cello and instrumental ensemble, brings together the Stations of the Cross and a series of drawings from the anatomical treatiseDe humani corporis fabrica(1543) by the Belgian physician Andreas van Wesel (Vesalius). In Davies's sequence, the final "station" represents the Resurrection, but ofAntichrist,the composer's moral point being the need to distinguish what is false from what is real.[32] David Bowieregarded his 1976 song "Station to Station"as" very much concerned with the stations of the cross ".[33]Polish composerPaweł ŁukaszewskiwroteVia Crucisin 2000 and it was premiered by thePodlaska Opera and Orchestraon March 8, 2002.[34]Stefano Vagnini's 2002 modular oratorio,Via Crucis,[35]is a composition for organ, computer, choir, string orchestra and brass quartet. Italian composerFabio Mengozzireleased his electronic albumVia crucisin 2022.[36]

As the Stations of the Cross are prayed during the season of Lent in Catholic churches, each station is traditionally followed by a verse of theStabat Mater,composed in the 13th century byFranciscanJacopone da Todi.James Matthew Wilson's poetic sequence,The Stations of the Cross,is written in the same meter as da Todi's poem.[37]

Literature

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Dimitris Lyacos' third part of the Poena Damni trilogy,The First Death,is divided into fourteen sections in order to emphasise the "Via Dolorosa" of its marooned protagonist during his ascent on the mount of the island which constitutes the setting of the work.[38]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^abByrne, William (16 October 2020).5 Things with Father Bill: Hope, Humor, and Help for the Soul.Loyola Press.ISBN978-0-8294-5327-0.
  2. ^"Stations of the Cross".Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. Archived fromthe originalon 20 October 2017.Retrieved20 October2017.
  3. ^"Good Friday: Stations of the Cross Explained".Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (KJZZ14). 15 April 2022.It has become standard for Catholic churches in the United States to mark the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. In addition to Catholics, some Protestant churches, especially those belonging to the Episcopal [i.e., Anglican] or Lutheran denominations, also commemorate the Stations of the Cross as of their Lenten activities.
  4. ^"Lent"(PDF).Church of England. 236. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 5 July 2017.Retrieved20 October2017.
  5. ^"Stations of the Cross".Trinity UMC. 24 March 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 17 April 2015.Retrieved17 April2015.
  6. ^Quann, Lynn (4 April 2017)."Stations of the Cross".Epworth United Methodist Church. Archived fromthe originalon 26 March 2023.Retrieved16 April2022.
  7. ^ab"Stations of the Cross".St. Michael's Episcopal Church. 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 17 February 2015.Retrieved3 March2015.
  8. ^Ann Ball, 2003Encyclopedia of Catholic Devotions and PracticesISBN0-87973-910-X
  9. ^The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations (1883) by Patrick Francis Moran /The Way of the Cross.Browne and Nolan.
  10. ^Ryder, Henry Ignatius Dudley(1920).Sermons and Notes of Sermons.Sands & Company. p. 58.
  11. ^Chryssides, George D.; Wilkins, Margaret Z. (11 September 2014).Christians in the Twenty-First Century.Taylor & Francis.p. 51.ISBN978-1-317-54557-6.
  12. ^"Frommer's Events – Event Guide: Good Friday Procession in Rome (Palatine Hill, Italy)".Frommer's. Archived fromthe originalon 7 January 2009.Retrieved8 April2008.
  13. ^Ousterhout, Robert G. (1981). "The Church of Santo Stefano: A" Jerusalem "in Bologna".Gesta.2(20):311–321.doi:10.2307/766940.ISSN0016-920X.JSTOR766940.S2CID191752841.
  14. ^abWeitzel Gibbons, Mary (1995).Giambologna: Narrator of the Catholic Reformation.University of California Press. pp.72–73.ISBN978-0-520-08213-7.
  15. ^abThurston, Herbert (1914).The Stations of the Cross: an account of their history and devotional purpose.London: Burns & Oates. pp.20–21, 46.OCLC843213.
  16. ^abSchiller, Gertrud,Iconography of Christian Art, Vol. II,p. 82, 1972 (English trans from German), Lund Humphries, London,ISBN0-85331-324-5
  17. ^The Catholic Encyclopedia(1907). s.v. "The Way of the Cross".
  18. ^"Text of the Stations of the Cross for 2020, led by Pope Francis".Aleteia / Foundation for Evangelization through the Media (FEM). 9 April 2020.Retrieved19 May2020.
  19. ^"First Station: Jesus is condemned to death".Libreria Editrice Vaticana.Retrieved19 May2020.
  20. ^Francesca Merlo (10 April 2020)."Way of the Cross: Meditations from a corrections facility".Vatican News.Retrieved19 May2020.
  21. ^"Fr. William Saunders".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-04-30.Retrieved2009-04-04.Because of the intrinsic relationship between the passion and death of our Lord with His resurrection, several of the devotional booklets now include a 15th station, which commemorates the Resurrection.
  22. ^Ficcaglia, Jennifer (12 February 2016)."Stations of the Cross Explained".Catholic Courier.The Way of the Cross traditionally consists of 14 iconic stations that depict the events of Jesus' journey to crucifixion. A 15th station, which is not depicted by an icon, is meant to remember Jesus' resurrection.
  23. ^"The Official Web Site for the Archdiocese of Detroit"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2010-12-23.Retrieved2012-02-13.In some contemporary Stations of the Cross, a fifteenth station has been added to commemorate the Resurrection of the Lord.
  24. ^Joseph M Champlin,The Stations of the Cross With Pope John Paul IILiguori Publications, 1994,ISBN0-89243-679-4
  25. ^Pope John Paul II,Meditation and Prayers for the Stations of the Cross at the ColosseumArchived2013-06-03 at theWayback Machine,Good Friday, 2000
  26. ^"Scriptural Stations of the Cross".www.usccb.org.Retrieved2019-03-11.
  27. ^Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff (April 6, 2007)."Way of the Cross at the Colosseum".Vatican.va.Archivedfrom the original on July 7, 2013.RetrievedFebruary 18,2018.
  28. ^"Pope Benedict leads Good Friday service".ABC News.April 6, 2007 – via www.abc.net.au.
  29. ^"Catholic Encyclopedia:Way of the Cross ".Newadvent.org. 1912-10-01.Retrieved2014-07-03.
  30. ^ReviewArchived2012-04-30 at theWayback Machine,United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2004
  31. ^McBrien, Richard P.; Harold W. Attridge (1995).The HarperCollins encyclopedia of Catholicism.Harper Collins. p.1222.ISBN978-0-06-065338-5.
  32. ^Peter Maxwell Davies: Composer's note in the published score (Boosey and Hawkes, B & H 20286).
  33. ^Cavanagh, David (February 1997). "ChangesFiftyBowie".Q magazine:52–59.
  34. ^"Via Crucis by Paweł Łukaszewski".www.viacrucis.pl.
  35. ^Falcon Valley Music Ed., Stefano Vagnini,Via Crucis,Rome, 2002.[not specific enough to verify]
  36. ^"Esce il primo disco del compositore e pianista astigiano Fabio Mengozzi, elettronica e magia".La Stampa(in Italian). 18 October 2022.
  37. ^"The Stations of the Cross: Clarion Review".www.clarionreview.org.Retrieved2017-12-16.
  38. ^Toti O’Brien (October 2018)."Poena Damni/Poetry Review - Ragazine".Retrieved2024-01-21.
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