Via Crucis

We adore You,
Lord Jesus Christ
Here and in all your
Churches in the whole world,
And we bless you,
Because by your holy cross
You have redeemed the world.

—St. Francis prayer

Via Crucis is Latin for The Way of the Cross. This term usually refers to the series of pictures of Jesus on the day of his Crucifixion. Via Crucis celebrates the early painted crosses and other art objects that depict Jesus in the events surrounding his death. These crosses hung above the altars in Italian Medieval and Renaissance churches. They actually were suspended at an angle so that when the participants came to receive the Eucharist at the altar, they stood literally under the cross—an amazing concept.

This small show with its sixteen gilded crosses is designed to help rediscover its rich Christian visual heritage, of which these crosses, altars and sculptures represent only a mere fraction of the art that was created to enhance worship.

Each drawing in Via Crucis is a delicate translation in line and gold, recreating specific historical works as ‘icons’ from the canon of Western Art, with several delicately drawn gilded crosses and stunning altarpieces from Italy and Northern Europe.