- Feb 5, 2002
- 166,616
- 56,253
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Catholic
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Others
Every year, the Bishop of Rome holds one of the key events of the liturgical year — the Way of the Cross on Good Friday — at the Colosseum, Rome's most emblematic monument.
As the Church around the world commemorates the passion and death of Jesus, every Good Friday the Colosseum is transformed into a giant stage for the Via Crucis(the Stations, or Way of the Cross), and the slopes of the Esquiline Hill, for an hour, embody those of Golgotha.
At nightfall, the ruins of the famous oval-shaped amphitheater are adorned with a play of light and shadow. Thousands of faithful come to join their prayers to those of the pope in an atmosphere of intense contemplation, around the cross of Christ.
FeaturedPics|Wikipedia|CC BY-SA 4.0
It was because of this symbolism that Pope Benedict XIV chose the monument as the scene for the greatest Stations of the Cross of the 18th century, at a time when this tradition was beginning to spread throughout Europe. In 1750, the Italian pontiff had 14 Stations and a large cross erected in the center of the Flavian amphitheater.
On September 19, 1756, the same pope dedicated the Colosseum to the memory of the Passion of Christ and the martyrs. The tradition lasted for over a century, before falling into disuse with the unification of Italy (1861) and the end of the Church’s temporal power, the pontiff having lost his sovereignty over Roman territory.
Then, during Holy Week in 1959, John XXIII once again presided over the Via crucis at the Colosseum. However, it was not until his successor, Paul VI, that this tradition was revived in a lasting way in 1964. It was also under his pontificate that the celebration was broadcast for the first time on live international television and in color, in 1977.
Continued below.
aleteia.org
As the Church around the world commemorates the passion and death of Jesus, every Good Friday the Colosseum is transformed into a giant stage for the Via Crucis(the Stations, or Way of the Cross), and the slopes of the Esquiline Hill, for an hour, embody those of Golgotha.
At nightfall, the ruins of the famous oval-shaped amphitheater are adorned with a play of light and shadow. Thousands of faithful come to join their prayers to those of the pope in an atmosphere of intense contemplation, around the cross of Christ.
The Colosseum
The Colosseum, in the heart of Rome’s historic center, has long been considered the site of the first Christian martyrs in ancient Rome. Although archaeological research has since shown that the amphitheater was more the site of the Roman Empire’s famous gladiatorial combats than of executions, its reputation has remained associated with the blood of Christians.
FeaturedPics|Wikipedia|CC BY-SA 4.0
It was because of this symbolism that Pope Benedict XIV chose the monument as the scene for the greatest Stations of the Cross of the 18th century, at a time when this tradition was beginning to spread throughout Europe. In 1750, the Italian pontiff had 14 Stations and a large cross erected in the center of the Flavian amphitheater.
On September 19, 1756, the same pope dedicated the Colosseum to the memory of the Passion of Christ and the martyrs. The tradition lasted for over a century, before falling into disuse with the unification of Italy (1861) and the end of the Church’s temporal power, the pontiff having lost his sovereignty over Roman territory.
Then, during Holy Week in 1959, John XXIII once again presided over the Via crucis at the Colosseum. However, it was not until his successor, Paul VI, that this tradition was revived in a lasting way in 1964. It was also under his pontificate that the celebration was broadcast for the first time on live international television and in color, in 1977.
Via crucis with painful relevance
Continued below.
How the Vatican's Way of the Cross got to the Colosseum
Every year, the Pope holds one of the key events of the liturgical year— the Way of the Cross on Good Friday—at the Colosseum, Rome's most emblematic monument.
aleteia.org
