Holy Face
The Holy Face is a large wooden crucifix located inside the Cathedral of San Martino, housed in a splendid polygonal chapel built in 1484 by Matteo Civitali. What is most striking about the famous face of Jesus are the truly unique and evocative eyes: large, round, and expressive, made of dark blue glass paste, they seem to follow the gaze of the viewer.
Address: Antelminelli Square, Lucca
phone: 0583 490530
E-MAIL: info@museocatedralelucca.it
the website: museocattedralelucca.it
accessibility: ramps are available for wheelchair users
timetables: variable during the year, it is recommended to see the official website
input: a is expected paid ticket
The Museum and Archaeological Complex of the Cathedral of Lucca adheres to Visit Card Lucca the cumulative ticket that allows access to the main places of cultural interest and attractions of the city
From the surprising results of scientific tests made public in 2020, the work can be dated between the last decades of the 8th and the beginning of the 9th century. A dedicated website recounts all the important restoration work of the Holy Face
The Holy Face of Lucca is the oldest surviving wooden sculpture in the West.
Since the Middle Ages, the miraculous crucifix has been a destination for pilgrimages from all over Europe and a fundamental stage of the Via FrancigenaHis effigy became the symbol of the city of Lucca, so much so that starting in the 13th century it was placed on the seals of money changers and on coins.
According to the legend of Leobino, the body of the Holy Face was sculpted by Nicodemus, a disciple of Jesus, who, however, did not dare to create the face, which was completed that night by divine hand. The crucifix remained hidden in Palestine until the year 782, when it was placed on an unmanned boat in the hope that it would land in a safer place through divine intervention. The bishop of Lucca, Giovanni, warned in a dream, went to receive the Cross at the port of Luni, and a cart pulled by free oxen finally brought it to Lucca (a fresco by the painter Amico Aspertini, depicting the legend, is preserved in the Chapel of Sant'Agostino inside the Basilica). Basilica of San Frediano).
As soon as it arrived in the city, the Cross was placed in the church of San Frediano, but during the night it disappeared only to reappear near the cathedral, where it has been kept ever since. The event is commemorated every year on the evening of September 13th during the Luminara di Santa Croce, the solemn procession that starts from the Basilica of San Frediano and arrives at the Cathedral of San Martino; Here the blessing is imparted and the traditional Mottettone is performed (a polyphonic choral and instrumental composition, composed every year by musicians from Lucca).
During the days in honour of the Holy Cross, 3 May and 13-14 September, the Holy Face is embellished with its jewels in gold, diamonds and precious stones, which for the rest of the year are exhibited in the Cathedral Museum.