Stations of the Cross: A Short History

In the weeks preceding Easter and Holy Week, millions of Christians will pray the Stations of the Cross. The stations lead worshipers through a time of prayer and meditation as they remember and reflect upon the passion (suffering) of Christ. Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran parishes use these stations (also called the Way of the Cross or Via Dolorosa) in preparation for Easter. The traditional 14 stations are found along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, where they mark a spot where Jesus paused, stumbled, or spoke to someone on his way to the cross. They are:

1. Jesus is condemned to death
2. Jesus takes up his cross
3. Jesus falls the first time
4. Jesus meets his mother
5. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross
6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
7. Jesus falls the second time
8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
9. Jesus falls the third time
10. Jesus is stripped of his clothes
11. Jesus is nailed to the cross
12. Jesus dies on the cross
13. Jesus is taken from the cross
14. Jesus is laid in the tomb

Each station begins with a prayer followed by a biblical passage related to the location’s event. It is customary to sing a verse of a hymn between stations.

The History

The tradition of the Stations of the Cross began to take root in the fifth century, when churches started replicating holy places for those who were unable physically to walk the Via Dolorosa. The chapels at the monastery of San Stefano, for example, were commissioned by St. Petronius, Bishop of Bologna, and highlighted several of the places Jesus walked, as well as other important shrines in the Holy Land.

The practice evolved further when Ottoman Turks outlawed pilgrims from stopping at any of the stations in the Holy Land. In response, Stations of the Cross were built in other locations, “including the Dominican Friary at Cordova and Poor Clare Convent of Messina (early 1400s); Nuremberg (1468); Louvain (1505); Bamberg, Fribourg, and Rhodes (1507); and Antwerp (1520).”[1]

As the practice spread, Pope Innocent XI permitted all churches to erect the Stations of the Cross, and he gave the same indulgences to the Franciscans and their affiliates who participated in them as though they had taken the physical pilgrimage. This was later granted to all participants in 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII.

How was the number of stations set at 14? Pope Clement XII established this in 1731. Before then, there had not been a set number. Even after the number had been set to 14, some continued to have as many as 600 stations.

The Stations of the Cross are still important in Catholic worship, and they continue to be updated. Pope Paul VI approved a Gospel-based version of the stations in 1975 (removing those events not found in the Gospels from the stations), and Pope John Paul II wrote his own version, the” Stations of the Cross for Life.”

Museum of the Bible offers several ways to explore this centuries-old tradition—by visiting the museum and viewing Gib Singleton’s modern interpretation of each station in a series of sculptures, or by going online, where we provide a virtual look at these sculptures as well as two devotionals that walk through the Stations of the Cross service. We hope these provide inspiration in this holy season.

By Judy Hilovsky, Copywriter and Editor

[1] https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/how-did-the-stations-of-the-cross-begin-1155