| The Stations of the Cross | ||
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One Christian tradition well known to generations of
Jerusalem pilgrims is the devotion to the Stations of the Cross. The devotion
likely began, according to some historians, with the practice of early
Byzantine pilgrims who on Holy Thursday went in procession from Gethsemani
on the eastern side of Jerusalem westward to the church of the Holy Sepulcher.
By the 18th century, the route became known as the Via Dolorosa.
From the 14th century, pilgrims under the guidance of the Franciscans commemorated the journey of Jesus to Calvary along this route, with specific locations gradually marked for incidents of the journey. From Jerusalem the devotion of the Stations of the Cross spread to churches and shrines in western Christianity where it influenced popular Christian reflection on the Passion of Jesus. |
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| The Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem today begins at the remains
of the fortress Antonia and proceeds westward through the streets of Jerusalem
to the church of the Holy Sepulcher. Archeologists, however, generally
place Jesus' judgment by Pilate at Herod's palace on the other side of
the city rather than at the Antonia. From Herod's palace Jesus was led
to Calvary nearby.
Whatever the archeological judgments may be, the devotion of the Stations of the Cross remains a powerful form for meditating on the passion of Jesus Christ. Based substantially on St. Luke's account of Jesus final journey, it provides a simple symbolic framework for following in the steps of Jesus. |
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