Way of the Cross (Stations of the Cross)

A devotion to the Passion of Christ, which recalls a series of events at the end of Jesus’ life from his condemnation to his burial. The Way of the Cross imitates the practice of Christian pilgrims visiting the sites of Jesus’ Passion in the Holy Land. The first stations outside Palestine were built in Bologna in the fifth century. This devotion was encouraged by the Franciscans, and it became common in the fifteenth century. The number of stations for prayer and meditation in the Way of the Cross has varied, but it typically includes fourteen stations. Each station has a cross and an artistic representation of the scene. The stations may be erected inside a church or outdoors.