This week's Photo Hunt theme is 'bling'. I must confess to not having a wealth of bling shots. I did recall a visit to Lucca a few years ago where I took a picture of some bling belonging to an alleged 1200 year old wooden crucifix.
This crucifix has a fascinating istory . . .
The Holy Face of Lucca (Volto Santo di Lucca) is a venerated wooden crucifix, located in the free-standing octagonal Carrara marble chapel (the tempietto or "little temple"), which was built in 1484 by Matteo Civitali, the sculptor-architect of Lucca, to contain it. The tempietto stands in the right-hand nave of the cathedral of San Martino in Lucca, Italy. Medieval legends stated that it had been sculpted by that Nicodemus who assisted Joseph of Arimathea in depositing Christ in the tomb and specifically dated its arrival in Lucca to AD 742.
According to medieval legend, Nicodemus did all the carving work but the face, which he hesitated to complete for fear of not doing it justice. He fell asleep, and upon awaking found the face beautifully carved - the miraculous work of an angel. The Crucifix of the Holy Face was buried in a cave for safekeeping, where it remained for centuries.
It was rediscovered by Bishop Gualfredo, who was on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land when its location was revealed to him in a dream. To allow God to decide where the Crucifix should be kept, the bishop set it adrift on an unmanned boat in the Mediterranean Sea. The Volto Santo arrived on the shores of northern Italy, where the Bishop of Lucca, also prompted by a dream, put it into a wagon with no driver to determine its final location. The two oxen pulling the wagon stopped of their own accord at Lucca in 782.
The Volto Santo was placed in the Church of San Frediano, but the next morning, it was found to have been miraculously transferred to San Martino. For this reason, the legend explains, San Martino was designated the cathedral of Lucca (an honor previously held by Santi Giovanni e Reparata).
Every September 13-14 and May 3, the Luccans celebrate the Volto Santo with a solemn procession from San Frediano to the Duomo. The statue is no longer carried through the streets on these occasions, but it is dressed in rich medieval vestments inside its shrine. These include a golden crown, a golden breastplate with a jeweled cross necklace, a golden belt with small sculptures in Gothic niches, a half-robe of black velvet embroidered in gold thread, and gold-embroidered scarves draped over the wrists.
What a neat story to go with the medieval bling! Happy photo hunting :)
Posted by: Sue St Clair | January 07, 2012 at 09:05 AM
Interesting information and a great shot for the theme.
Posted by: Carver | January 07, 2012 at 09:51 AM
a beautiful bling with such a fascinating history.
Posted by: LifeRamblings | January 07, 2012 at 10:45 AM
I, too, am not that into photographing bling. But think you did pretty well with your take on the theme. :)
Posted by: YTSL | January 07, 2012 at 10:56 AM
Happy New Year! I love your Italian bling and learning more about Volto Santo. Have a great weekend.
Posted by: Annie | January 07, 2012 at 10:59 AM
Imagine wearing that thing!
We have both gone to Italy for our Bling. . . Although I did find a touch of bling in Alabama that would rival this...
Posted by: sandi @the whistlestop cafe | January 07, 2012 at 11:10 AM
Very interesting story! Thank you for sharing!
Posted by: Eden | January 07, 2012 at 12:10 PM
Thanks for popping by on photo hunt Saturday y'all.
Posted by: JDeQ | January 12, 2012 at 08:13 PM