GOOD FRIDAY commemorates the passion and death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Here are some of my photos of church art that depicts the Passion.
The Agony of Our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane, at Saint Joseph Church, in Louisiana, Missouri. Photo taken in February 2011.
Saint Joseph Church, in Freeburg, Illinois. June 2009.
In Christ the King Chapel, at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, in Belleville, Illinois. June 2008.
Immaculate Conception Church, in Maplewood. May 2010.
The Man of Sorrows. A statue of Christ after being scourged and crowned with thorns. At Saint Anthony of Padua Church, in Saint Louis. February, 2007.
Mosaic of Jesus’ mother Mary, the woman of sorrows. On an outdoor altar at the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows, in Starkenburg. May 2007.
Crown of thorns and nails, at the Sacred Heart shrine of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. September 2007.
Sign of the Passionists depicts the three nails used to affix Christ to the Cross. The text, “Jesu ΧΡΙ Passio” is Greek and Latin for “The Passion of Jesus Christ”. At the Passionist Nuns Chapel, in Ellisville. April 2007.
The Arma Christi, or instruments of Christ's passion and death, at the museum of the Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, in Saint Louis. August 2007.
Arma Christi, at Saint Francis de Sales Oratory. April 2011.
Pontius Pilate condemns Jesus to death. Saint Bernard Church, in Albers, Illinois. November 2008.
Saint Ann Church, in Normandy. April 2009.
At the White House Retreat, in Oakville. February 2007.
At the cemetery of Saint Boniface Church, in Germantown, Illinois. November 2008.
Jesus falls while bearing the Cross. Cathedral of Saint Raymond Nonnatus, in Joliet, Illinois. September 2007.
At Saint Mary’s Church, in Carlyle, Illinois. November 2008.
Jesus meets His mother Mary. All Souls Church, in Overland. October 2007.
Veronica wipes Jesus’ face. At Holy Family Log Church, in Cahokia, Illinois. July 2006.
Tapestry at the Saint Louis Art Museum. September 2010.
Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem. Saint John Nepomuk Church, in Saint Louis. April 2007.
Jesus being stripped of His garments. At Saint George Church, in Hermann. November 2006.
Jesus being nailed to the Cross, Saint Cecilia Church, in Bartelso, Illinois. November 2008.
At Saint Mary’s Church, in Trenton, Illinois. November 2009.
Saint George Church, in New Baden, Illinois. November 2008.
The Crucifixion of Our Lord, at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, in University City. September 2006.
At the Saint Louis Art Museum. June 2007.
Processional crucifix, at Saint George Church, in Hermann. November 2006.
At Saint Martin Church, in Starkenburg. May 2007.
Saint John Nepomuk Church, in Saint Louis. April 2007.
Altar crucifix, at Immaculate Conception Church, in Union. July 2007.
At Mary, Queen of Peace Church, in Webster Groves. October 2007.
At Saint Anthony of Padua, in Saint Louis. May 2008.
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. May 2008.
At the museum of the Basilica of Saint Louis, King. August, 2007.
Ste. Genevieve Church, in Sainte Genevieve. December 2007.
At Saint Francis de Sales Oratory. September 2007.
At Saint James Church, in Catawissa. October 2007.
Jesus is taken down from the Cross. Saint Joseph Church, Apple Creek. December 2007.
From the collection of the Western Jesuit Missions, at the Saint Louis University Art Museum. December 2006.
Mary holding Christ after being taken down from the cross. Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Saint Louis. October 2006.
Our Lady of Sorrows Church. June 2008.
At the Cathedral Basilica. January 2008.
At Old Saint Ferdinand's Shrine, in Florissant. December 2006. Magna velut mare contritio mea! This derives from the Lamentations of Jeremiah 2:13 — “To what shall I compare you? Or to what shall I liken you, O daughter of Jerusalem? To what shall I equal you, that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter of Sion? For great as the sea is your destruction: who shall heal you?“
Immaculate Conception Church, in Maplewood. May 2010.
Saint Alphonsus Ligouri church, in Saint Louis. April 2011.
Jesus being placed in the tomb, at Saint Raphael Church, in Saint Louis. November 2006.
Saint Mary’s Church, in Alton, Illinois. January 2007.
Saint Patrick Church, in Grafton, Illinois. October 2010.
Please note that many of these photographs depicting the Passion of Our Lord were taken in the year 2007. My girlfriend Lisa died unexpectedly after a long illness during Holy Week of that year. I joined my suffering to that of Christ.
These are beautiful. Thank you for taking the time to post them. Peace to you this Easter!
ReplyDeleteIs it really necessary that you post so many images. It really clogs up Google Reader. I'm about ready to delete you from my subscriptions.
ReplyDeleteThese are quite beautiful and I think it's spiritually enriching to reflect on the differences between them. My favorites are:
ReplyDelete-- The Agony from Immaculate Conception in Maplewood. Notice how Christ has his head down on the rock and appears exhausted and "at the end of his rope," while the angel's expression is one of both concern and determination -- as if to say "Yes, you can do this."
-- The First Station from St. Ann in Normandy, which places the hands of the finger-pointing crowd on one side and the hands of Pilate (as he washes them of responsibility) on the other.
-- The Fourth Station from All Souls in Overland. Is that a tear I see on Mary's cheek?
-- The 11th Station from St. Mary's in Trenton. The expression on Christ's face is quite moving to me; the man doing the nailing, on the other hand, looks indifferent, as if he'd done this a hundred times before (which he probably had).
-- The corpus of the St. John Nepomuk crucifix. Almost looks like it could have been modeled after a concentration camp survivor or a famine victim.
Thanks for posting these!