Previati’s 14 Stations of the Way of the Cross on display in Saint Peter’s Basilica

Contemplating the mystery of the Passion of the Lord

Fourteen paintings, depicting the Stations of the Way of the Cross, by Gaetano Previati, were unveiled on Friday, 7 March, in Saint Peter’s Basilica, where they will remain throughout the Lenten Season, to give the faithful an opportunity to contemplate the mysteries of the Passion of the Lord.

Currently in its fourth edition, the initiative is the result of a collaboration between the Governorate of Vatican City State, particularly the Directorate of Museums and Cultural Heritage, and the Fabric of Saint Peter.

The 14 paintings that make up the “Passion of Christ”, by Gaetano Previati, an artist from Ferrara (Ferrara 1852 - Lavagna 1920), were painted between 1901 and 1902. They have been placed in the transept and along the nave of the Basilica.

The faithful and pilgrims who visit the Basilica will be able to admire the paintings, as they participate in the Way of the Cross, which takes place at 4:00 p.m. every Friday throughout the Lenten Season.

The large paintings, which were recently restored by the Vatican Museums’ restoration laboratories, are usually on display in the Modern and Contemporary Art Collection.

The colour red is present in all the paintings of this Via Crucis, in particular in Christ’s reddish purple mantle that recalls his regality, as well as his suffering and the blood he shed on the Cross. It is said that the artist reflected for 10 months on the theme of the Passion before executing the large paintings, which measure 121 x 107 cm. In order to relive and be inspired by what Jesus had suffered, the artist sometimes carried a large wooden cross on his shoulders to identify with the scenes of the Passion. The light too reflects the Lord’s tragedy: darkness pervades from the first painting to the last, until Jesus is placed in the sepulchre.

Previati’s paintings have been at the Vatican since 1972, when the Collection of Contemporary Religious Art was being established by Saint Paul VI, in an effort to reinstate a dialogue between the Church and contemporary culture. The Collection was inaugurated on 23 June 1973.