History of Stations of the Cross

The Way of the Cross (Via Crucis), as a devotion, may be traced to Christ's journey along the Via
Dolorosa itself at Jerusalem as our Lord walkedand stumbled in painto his crucifixion on Mount
Calvary. From the earliest years of the Church, pious pilgrims marked out that route to revisit for
themselves the scenes of Christ's passion. The concept of Stations, however, as halting-places along
the route, with specific prayers and meditations for each incident, did not develop until the fifteenth
and sixteenth centuries, especially as a result of reproductions of the holy places being set up in
various parts of Europe, for the benefit of those who could not travel to Jerusalem to practice this
devotion.
Originally, indulgences were given for making the long and dangerous journey to Jerusalem and
devoutly visiting the actual scenes of Christ's Passion. But in the seventeenth century a new practice
developed. In 1686 the Franciscans received from Innocent XI the right to erect Stations in their
churches; thus they, and all others affiliated to their order, could gain the same indulgences for
making the Way of the Cross in their own churches as if they had made the journey to Jerusalem.
In 1726 Benedict XIII extended the right to gain indulgences in these Franciscan churches to all the
faithful. And in 1731 Clement XII permitted indulgenced Stations to all churchesprovided they were
erected by a Franciscan priest. In 1862 this last restriction was removed, to accommodate those
places where no Franciscans were available.
And so today the faithful are able, in their own churches, to make a pilgrimage in spirit to the central
scenes of Christ's sufferings and death.
A plenary indulgence is granted for the Exercise of the Way of the Cross, provided that certain
conditions are met: the stations must have been legitimately erected; fourteen crosses of real wood
are required (pictures are optional); and movement must be made from one station to the next.
Finally, although specific prayers and readings may be used, they are optional; all that is required is "a
pious meditation on the Passion and Death of the Lord, which need not be a particular consideration of
the individual mysteries of the stations" (Enchiridion of Indulgences).