PILGRIM's CROSS

PILGRIM CROSS
PILGRIM CROSS
PILGRIM CROSS
PILGRIM CROSS
guido-dettoni-pilgrim-shell

PILGRIM's CANE

The hand meets the cross

In the summer of 2002, after the exhibition MARIA in the choir of the church of San Martín Pinario in Santiago de Compostela, Guido Dettoni created this Cross, inspired by the Pilgrim’s Way.

The void of the hole becomes the origin of the pilgrim’s shell figure that determines the shape of the cross and then disappears; the same hole that also becomes the side crossed by the spear.

The Cross becomes the top of the pilgrim’s cane, whose hole invites us to lift it to see the light, the cross-cane as an icon of elevation.

He shaped the Cross with wax and then reproduced it in oak from Galicia, and the cane was turned in chestnut wood, as the tradition dictates.

Pilgrim cane
Pilgrim cane

“El Bastó del Pelegrí”  
Pilgrim’s Cane / Bastone del Pellegrino / Bastó del Pelegrí
Essay by Miquel Ambròs i Albertí

ROME, crossroads of pilgrimages and humanity

 

From Oct. 25 to Dec. 6, 2024, the exhibition “ROME, crossroads of pilgrimages and humanity” will take place in all the rooms of the Pontifical Shrine of the Shroud, as a real journey between images and words.

In what is considered the holiest place in the world, the shrine that holds the Holy Staircase, on whose steps, according to tradition, Jesus passed several times on the day of his Passion, both the precious Chapel of the Popes, known as the Sancta Sanctorum, where the image of the Savior is kept.

The exhibition will present contemporary artworks by Francesca Cataldi, Guido Dettoni della Grazia and Giancarlo Frison, highlighting the universal theme of pilgrimage and a series of photographs showing details of Roman churches: these highlight the veneration given to the early Christian martyrs, the rootedness of the Marian cult, the impact and role of light in architectural spaces and the expression of popular devotion.

At the center of the entire Christian community, like the Lateran area, the contribution of the arts invites recollection and meditation, away from the hubbub of the capital, in preparation for the opening of the Jubilee year.

The work of Guido Dettoni della Grazia chosen for this exhibition is the Pilgrim’s Cane, an unfailing element for those who undertake the journey. At the top is a reproduction of the original of his pilgrim’s Cross, first modeled in blindness, then “touched with the eyes”: the shell, which contains it, is uncovered, and the perforation of the centurion’s spear is added, becoming a channel of light.
The extension of the Cross is converted precisely in the cane for the journey: and then, despite the loneliness, physical fatigue, and sense of inadequacy, the pilgrim can turn to the support of the staff, which evokes the certainty of the Salvation granted by Jesus’ sacrifice.

Exhibition curator: Azzurra Pizzi, Phd in historical and artistic heritage.
Graphics by Enrico Mattioni.
Exhibition website: www.romacrocevia.altervista.org
Organization: Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ
 (Rector Fr Leonello Leidi and Fr Marco Staffolani, deputy director of the Culture Office of the Vicariate of Rome)

SANCTUARY OPENING HOURS:
Monday through Saturday: 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. | 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Sundays and holidays: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. | 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
HOLY STAIRCASE OPENING HOURS:
Monday to Saturday: 6 a.m.-1:30 p.m. | 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Sundays and holidays: 7 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | 3 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
FREE ENTRANCE and open to all.
ADDRESS: Piazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano, 14, Rome RM