What is the Holy Face of Lucca?
The “Black Christ of Lucca,” known as the Holy Face of Lucca, is a remarkable 2.24-meter wooden crucifix housed in its own chapel within the Cathedral of San Martino in Lucca. According to legend, it represents the true face of Christ, as recounted by the writer Deacon Leobino.
Astonishingly, this crucifix has remained intact for over a millennium. Recent scientific studies have dated the sculpture to between 770 and 880 AD, aligning with the legend that it arrived in Lucca from Palestine in 782. This discovery confirms the Holy Face as the oldest wooden sculpture in the Western world.
This revelation transforms the narrative from mere legend to historical fact, offering profound insights into the rich cultural and religious heritage of Lucca.
The legend
For those unfamiliar with the vicissitudes of this crucifix, he has really been through a lot. It is said that he was carved by the soldier Nicodemus with walnut wood, to pass on the true likeness of Jesus Christ. In making his face he was helped by Divine Grace because he was unable to sculpt it. Once finished, the Crucifix was hidden until the eighth century and finally in 782 the Holy Face was solemnly transported to Lucca.
The cult of the Holy Face, since the Middle Ages, has brought thousands of pilgrims who, during their journey of faith, could not miss the stop in Lucca to visit the miraculous wooden statue. Among his most important miracles is the “miracle of the slipper” or perhaps it sounds better to say the “Miracle of the silver shoe”.
In 2020 the news was made official by the National Institute of Nuclear Physics CHNet in Florence which confirms the originality of the work, being the oldest wooden statue in the West placing it between the 8th and early 9th centuries.
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