The original crucifix was painted by an unknown Umbrian
artist in the twelfth century. As we can see below, it is strikingly
iconographic in character; because of this, many identify the artist as a
Syrian monk, since there were known to have been Syrian monks in the area at
that time. In 1257 the Poor Clares left San Damiano for San Gorgio, taking the crucifix with them. It was placed on public
view for the first time in modern times in Holy Week of 1957, over the new
altar in San Giorgio's Chapel in the Basilica of St. Clare of Assisi.
WHEN THE IMAGE OF CHRIST in the crucifix at San Damiano miraculously spoke
to St. Francis, saying, "Go repair my Church, which as you see is falling
completely in ruin", he was awakened to new zeal. He first concentrated on
repairing the church buildings of San Damiano and nearby churches. But his great "repair"
to the Church was the founding of the Franciscan Order, which began with the
followers that Christ began to send to him shortly after the vision.
The
most striking element of the San Damiano Crucifix is the figure of Christ. It is not the body of
a corpse, but of God Himself, incorruptible unto eternity and the source of
life, radiating the hope of the Resurrection. The Savior looks directly at us
with a compassionate gaze, regal, triumphant, and strong. He does not hang on
the Cross, but rather seems to be supporting it, standing in His full stature.
His hands are not cramped from being nailed to the wood, but rather spread out
serenely in an attitude of both supplication and blessing, which our
iconographer has further emphasized by Jesus' tranquil and gentle expression.
This iconographic Crucifix does not express the brute horror of death by
crucifixion, but rather the nobility and gentleness of eternal life.
The eyes of Jesus are open: He looks out to the world,
which He has saved. He is alive, the one who is eternal.
The shadow over the
face of Jesus is increased by the fact the halo and face are tilted forward on
the original Icon. The humanity of Christ veils the true glory of the Word who
lives in the super illuminous darkness of the
Godhead.
The Ascension is portrayed within this circle of red:
Christ is breaking out of the circle, holding a golden cross which is now His
Royal Scepter. His garments are gold - a symbol of royalty and victory. His red
scarf is a sign of His Dominion and Kingship; exercised in love. Angels welcome
Him into Heaven.
IHS are the first three letters of the name of Jesus.
The little bracket above indicates it is shorthand. NAZARE is the Nazarene; REX
is' king' and IUDEORUM is 'of the Jews', which is reported in St John's Gospel
"Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews"
From within the semi-circle at the very top of the Icon,
He whom no eye has seen reveals Himself in a benediction. This blessing is
given by the right hand of God with the finger extended - the Holy Spirit. The
Father gives the gift of the Holy Spirit to all because of the merits of the
Christ's Passion.
Around
the Cross are various calligraphic scrolls which may signify the mystical vine
"I am the vine, you are the branches... " (John 15), which also
contain the words "Greater love has no one than this, that one lays down
one 's life for one friends ".
Around the crossbar of the cross we see a company of
holy angels, looking in awe upon the Divine Sacrifice. Their hand gestures
indicate their animated discussion of this wondrous event.
Christ is behind the open tomb; Christ is alive and
standing over the tomb. The red of love overcomes the black of death. The
gestures of the unknown saints at His hands indicate faith. The saints at each end are
Peter and John at the empty tomb (John 20: 3 - 9).
Jesus' vestment is a simple loin cloth - a symbol of
both High Priest and Victim.
The knot in front is
the inspiration of how St. Francis turned it
into a mnemonic device by tying three knots in one of the loose ends to remind
him of his three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
The next largest figures are the five witnesses of the
crucifixion and witnesses of Jesus as Lord. On the left side are the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist, to whom Jesus
entrusted his mother. On the right side are Mary
Magdalene,
Mary, Mother of James, and the centurion
who in Matthew's Gospel account asks
Christ to heal his servant, who is also depicted on the cross on the shoulder
of the centurion (Matthew 8:5-13).
As in John's Gospel, Mary and John are placed side by
side. Mary's mantle is white meaning victory (Rev 3:5), purification (Rev
7:14); and good deeds (Rev 19:8). The gems on the mantle refer to the graces of
the Holy Spirit.
The
dark red worn under the mantic indicate intense love, while the inner dress is
purple - the Ark of the Covenant (Ex 26: 1-4).
Mary's left hand is raised to her cheek - her acceptance and love of John, and
her right hand points to John while her eyes proclaim acceptance of Christ's
words "Woman,
behold your son... "
(John 19:26). The blood drips on to John at this moment. John's mantle is rose
color indicating eternal wisdom, while his tunic is white - purity. His
position is between Jesus and Mary as is fitting for the disciple loved by both
of them. He looks at Mary "Son, behold your Mother", but points to
Christ.
Below and to the right of Jesus are Mary Magdalene, Mary
Clopas,
the mother of James, and the centurion who in Mark's Gospel (MK 15:39)
proclaims, "Truly this man was the Son of God". There is a long
standing tradition that this centurion is the same centurion who said to Jesus,
"Lord , do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come
under my roof....But say the word, and let my servant be healed." (LK
7:6-7).
Mary Magdalene is next to Christ making her very
special; her hand is on her chin indicating a confided secret "He is risen
". She wears scarlet, which is a symbol of love; her mantle of blue
deepens this.
Mary Clopas, Some authorities make her the mother of James. She
wears garments of an earthen color a symbol of humility, and her light green
mantle - hope. Her admiration of Jesus is indicated by the gesture of her hand
The Centurion of Capernaum.
He holds a piece of wood in his left hand, indicating
his building of the Synagogue (Luke 7: 1 - 10). He has extended his thumb and
two fingers, a symbol of the Trinity, while his two closed fingers symbolize
the hidden mystery of the two natures of Jesus the Christ. "Truly
He is the Son of God" (Mark 15:39).
Peering over the left shoulder of the centurion is a
small face. A close look reveals the tops of the heads of three others beside
him. This represents the centurion's son who was healed by Jesus and the rest
of his family to show that "he and his whole household believed"
(John 4:45-54).
The
Roman soldier who pierced Jesus' side with a lance. The name of the Roman
soldier is Longinus. We know his name from the writings of the early church
fathers. One of the Gospel accounts (which was not included in the bible)
written by the pharisee, Nicodemus, mentions
the roman soldier by name. Nicodemus is the one who asks Jesus in John's Gospel
(JN 3:5) "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time
into his mother's womb and be born?"
In the lower right is Stephaton, the traditional
name for the soldier who offered Jesus the sponge soaked in vinegar wine. From
his posture, one can see that he holds the staff and sponge in the same way
that Longinus holds the lance.
On
the right side of the picture next to the left calf of Jesus, there is a small
rooster. Remember Jesus said to Peter before his arrest: "Truly I say to
you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three
times." (MT 26:34) This rooster represents the sign of Peter's betrayal of
Jesus and is placed there as a warning to all of us not to be presumptuous of
our strength or complacent in our faith. We need to turn to the Crucified Lord
continually and seek the grace we need for our lives. (See John 18:25-27)
At the base of the cross there seems to be a section
that looks like a rock - the symbol of the Church. The seashells are symbols of
eternity - a mystery hidden in the vast and timeless sea of eternity is
revealed.
At the foot of the cross there is a damaged picture of
six figures, two of whom we clearly see with halos. In accordance with the
tradition of the day, these six are the patrons of Umbria: St John, St.
Michael, St. Rufino, St. John the
Baptist, St peter and St. Paul.
There are 33 figures in the Icon - Two Christ figures, 1
Hand of the Father, 5 major figures, 2 smaller figures, 14 angels, 2 unknown at
His hands, 1 small boy, 6 unknown at the bottom of the Cross and one rooster.
There are 33 nail heads along the frame just inside the shells and seven around
the halo.
So the next time you walk into St. Clare of Assisi Church, take a minute and reflect upon the beauty and story of the San Damiano Cross.
PRAYER BEFORE A CRUCIFIX
St. Francis of Assisi
We adore you,
Lord Jesus Christ,
here and in all your
churches in the whole world,
and we bless you,
because by your holy cross
you have redeemed the world.
References:
http://www.franciscanfriarstor.com/archive/stfrancis/stf_san_damiano_cross.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Damiano_cross
http://www.squidoo.com/san-damiano-cross
http://jimgracey.net/san_damiano.html
http://www.saintmichaelparishbedford.org/crossfr.htm
