the passion
The statue depicted is that of Christ recumbent (1958), by Domènec Fita i Molat, an artist born in Girona in 1927. The image was taken at Girona Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Girona (in Catalan: Catedral de Santa Maria de Girona or simply Catedral de Girona), a Roman Catholic church located in Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
Most of the statues I have seen in churches are of Christ upon the cross or take the form of the pieta, depicting the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary after the crucifixion. This was the first time that I had seen a statue of Christ recumbent following the crucifixion.
In reworking my original image, I wanted to suggest that despite the horrific torture endured by the victim, the statue’s face conveys a sense of peace and release from pain that eventual death must have brought. I also chose to isolate the statue from its background of the Tapestry of the Resurrection (1560) to heighten the figure’s isolation and thus concentrate the viewer’s attention.
The Romans had perfected crucifixion, which probably originated in Persia, to produce a slow death with the maximum amount of pain. Crucifixion was reserved for the worst of criminals. This punishment was so awful that Cicero (d. 43 BC) introduced legislation in the Roman Senate exempting Roman citizens from crucifixion.
The victim carried his own cross to further weaken him. Since the entire cross weighed around 300 pounds, he usually carried only the horizontal beam (patibulum) (75-125 pounds) to the place of execution where the vertical beams (stipes) were already in place. A military guard headed by a centurion led the procession. A soldier carried the titulus which displayed the victim’s name and his crime, and was later attached to the cross (Matthew 27:37). The path from the praetorium to Golgatha was about 1/3 of a mile and He was so weak Simon of Cyrene was forced to assist Him (Matthew 27:32).
Upon arriving at the place of execution, the law mandated the victim be given a bitter drink of wine mixed with myrrh (gall) as an analgesic (Matthew 27:34). The victim was then stripped of his garments (unless this had already occurred). His hands were stretched over the patibulum and either tied, nailed, or both. Archeological evidence reveals the nails were tapered iron spikes approximately 7 inches in length with a square shaft about 3/8 of an inch. The nails were driven through the wrist between the radius and the ulna to support the weight of the person. The patibulum was affixed to the stipes, and the feet were then tied or nailed directly to it or to a small footrest (suppedaneum).
As the victim hung on the cross, the crowds commonly tormented him with jeers (cf. Matthew 27:39-44). The Romans oftentimes forced the family to watch to add psychological suffering. The soldiers divided the man’s garments as part of their reward (Matthew 27:35). The victim would hang on the cross anywhere from three hours to even three days. As he hung in agony, insects would feed on the open wounds or the eyes, ears, and nose, and birds in turn would prey on the victim. With the combined effects caused by the loss of blood, the trauma of scourging, and dehydration, the weight of the body pulled down on the outstretched arms and shoulders impeding respiration. The person died from a slow asphyxiation. If the person tried to lift himself up on his feet to breathe, incredible pain would be felt at the nail wounds and the back wounds from the scourging. To hasten death, the soldiers would break the legs of the victim (John 19:32-33). When he appeared dead, the soldiers insured the fact by piercing the heart with a lance or sword; when Jesus’ heart was pierced out flowed blood and water (pericardial fluid) (John 19:34). Commonly, the corpse was left on the cross until decomposed or eaten by birds or animals; however, Roman law allowed the family to take the body for burial with permission of the Roman governor. Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for Christ’s body, and He was then buried (John 19:38).
the passion
The statue depicted is that of Christ recumbent (1958), by Domènec Fita i Molat, an artist born in Girona in 1927. The image was taken at Girona Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Girona (in Catalan: Catedral de Santa Maria de Girona or simply Catedral de Girona), a Roman Catholic church located in Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
Most of the statues I have seen in churches are of Christ upon the cross or take the form of the pieta, depicting the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary after the crucifixion. This was the first time that I had seen a statue of Christ recumbent following the crucifixion.
In reworking my original image, I wanted to suggest that despite the horrific torture endured by the victim, the statue’s face conveys a sense of peace and release from pain that eventual death must have brought. I also chose to isolate the statue from its background of the Tapestry of the Resurrection (1560) to heighten the figure’s isolation and thus concentrate the viewer’s attention.
The Romans had perfected crucifixion, which probably originated in Persia, to produce a slow death with the maximum amount of pain. Crucifixion was reserved for the worst of criminals. This punishment was so awful that Cicero (d. 43 BC) introduced legislation in the Roman Senate exempting Roman citizens from crucifixion.
The victim carried his own cross to further weaken him. Since the entire cross weighed around 300 pounds, he usually carried only the horizontal beam (patibulum) (75-125 pounds) to the place of execution where the vertical beams (stipes) were already in place. A military guard headed by a centurion led the procession. A soldier carried the titulus which displayed the victim’s name and his crime, and was later attached to the cross (Matthew 27:37). The path from the praetorium to Golgatha was about 1/3 of a mile and He was so weak Simon of Cyrene was forced to assist Him (Matthew 27:32).
Upon arriving at the place of execution, the law mandated the victim be given a bitter drink of wine mixed with myrrh (gall) as an analgesic (Matthew 27:34). The victim was then stripped of his garments (unless this had already occurred). His hands were stretched over the patibulum and either tied, nailed, or both. Archeological evidence reveals the nails were tapered iron spikes approximately 7 inches in length with a square shaft about 3/8 of an inch. The nails were driven through the wrist between the radius and the ulna to support the weight of the person. The patibulum was affixed to the stipes, and the feet were then tied or nailed directly to it or to a small footrest (suppedaneum).
As the victim hung on the cross, the crowds commonly tormented him with jeers (cf. Matthew 27:39-44). The Romans oftentimes forced the family to watch to add psychological suffering. The soldiers divided the man’s garments as part of their reward (Matthew 27:35). The victim would hang on the cross anywhere from three hours to even three days. As he hung in agony, insects would feed on the open wounds or the eyes, ears, and nose, and birds in turn would prey on the victim. With the combined effects caused by the loss of blood, the trauma of scourging, and dehydration, the weight of the body pulled down on the outstretched arms and shoulders impeding respiration. The person died from a slow asphyxiation. If the person tried to lift himself up on his feet to breathe, incredible pain would be felt at the nail wounds and the back wounds from the scourging. To hasten death, the soldiers would break the legs of the victim (John 19:32-33). When he appeared dead, the soldiers insured the fact by piercing the heart with a lance or sword; when Jesus’ heart was pierced out flowed blood and water (pericardial fluid) (John 19:34). Commonly, the corpse was left on the cross until decomposed or eaten by birds or animals; however, Roman law allowed the family to take the body for burial with permission of the Roman governor. Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for Christ’s body, and He was then buried (John 19:38).