http://www.muo.cz/en/upcoming/cross-way-from-orlice-restoration-2010-2018--2566/

Curator: Helena Zápalková

The passion of Christ, his martyrdom and resurrection are the central mysteries of the Christian faith. They have been depicted in fine arts since the Early Middle Ages, when they became a means of establishing an inner relationship between the faithful and suffering Jesus. The desire to join in the suffering of Christ’s painful way to Calvary crystallized in the 15th century when Ways of the Cross were created, inspired by the actual Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrow) in Jerusalem. Places linked to the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary were worshipped by Christians since the early centuries of the Christian era. Originally Christ’s Way to Calvary was mostly commemorated during Easter. However, the first pilgrims soon started to make pilgrimages to the Holy Land. In view of the high costs and the dangers involved in such pilgrimages, and because Jerusalem was not permanently in Christian hands, the idea of a “spiritual transfer” of the Way of the Cross to a European setting was introduced. The Franciscan Order avidly promoted Jerusalem worship and initiated the building of Ways of the Cross or Mounts Calvary. The order was active in the Holy Land by the 13th century. The greatest developments in the establishment of exterior Ways of the Cross in Europe can be seen predominantly in the Baroque period when the worship was recognized by the church. At the end of the 17th century they become part of the interior of Franciscan churches in the form of painting cycles. They already had the set number of fourteen Stations with clearly defined themes. However, it was only in 1731 that Pope Clement Xll allowed the Franciscans to establish Ways of the Cross in all churches and elsewhere in the open on sacred ground.

Archdiocesan Museum in Olomouc