Miraculous Crucifix Ruined at Pope Francis’ Urbi et Orbi?

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Admin
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Miraculous Crucifix Ruined at Pope Francis’ Urbi et Orbi? Mar 31, 2020 19:40:28 GMT

Post by Admin on Mar 31, 2020 19:40:28 GMT

Miraculous Crucifix Ruined at Pope Francis’ Urbi et Orbi

VATICAN CITY (ChurchMilitant.com) - A "miraculous crucifix," which survived a fire in 1519 and halted the great plague of Rome in 1522, has suffered potentially irreparable damage after being exposed to pouring rain for over two hours during Pope Francis' special Urbi et Orbi blessing in St. Peter's Square on Friday.

The wood on the sculpture tumefied and "exploded" as the rainwater penetrated the priceless work of art. The stuccos in various places used to plaster-coat the body of Jesus were severely eroded and much of the ancient light paint was wiped off the wood.

The tempera pigments used by the artist to paint the blood flowing from the side of Jesus was also undone. Ripples have formed on the wooden surface on the hair and details on the arms are ruined.

The artifact, from the 14th century Sienese School, is housed at the Church of San Marcello al Corso, where it escaped destruction when a fire destroyed the church on May 22, 1519. This miracle gave birth to a prayer group called "Company of the Holy Crucifix."

The crucifix is also credited with protecting the city during the Great Plague when it was taken in procession through the streets of Rome for 16 days from Aug. 4 to 20, 1522, bringing an end to the epidemic.

The authorities, fearing contagion, tried to prevent the religious procession, but the people ignored the prohibition. Since then, the Maundy Thursday procession with the "miraculous crucifix" from San Marcello's Church to St. Peter's Basilica continued for centuries.

According to Italian newspaper Il Messagero, it could take a miracle to save the cross, which has been rushed to the Vatican's laboratories to evaluate the damage so experts can begin the task of restoration and reconstruction.

The work of art is owned by the Italian government, and the Church of San Marcello al Corso is under the jurisdiction of the Religious Buildings Fund (Fondo edifici di culto) which oversees around 840 churches of historical and artistic interest throughout Italy as well as archeological sites and museums.

Rain has a devastating effect on wood, especially if it is old. It quickly penetrates the wood through its porosity and damages it.

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Questions are being asked as to why the crucifix was not placed elsewhere, or sheltered from the rain under the large papal canopy, as was the Marian icon of Salus Populi Romani (Mary Protection of the Roman People), which was protected inside an ultra-high-tech plexiglass watertight case with thermo-hygrometric sensors to maintain a stable internal microclimate.

Fingers are being pointed at the Msgr. Guido Marini, Master of the Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, who decided to abandon the cross to the inclement weather in order to leave the dramatic choreography intact.

The Soprintendenza for Cultural Heritage is also being held responsible, as it is supposed to have provided the authorizations for the transport of the crucifix.

Referring to the preservation of sacred art, including the crucifix of the baroque Church of the Holy Crucifix in Milazzo, Sicily, researchers Mauro Cannistraro and Roberta Restivo write:

The correct storage and protection of works of sacred art requires the guarantee of the optimal conditions of some parameters affecting the indoor microclimate of the place in which they are located. The temperature and humidity are two of the most important parameters of the indoor microclimate. To avoid critical issues of the preservation process, these parameters must be kept constant during the day at each point of the place.

They note the danger of "organic materials capable of absorbing water — such as wood, ivory, leather, [and] paper increasing when relative humidity increases and shrinking when it decreases, with consequent variations in weight, deformations, fiber breaks, cracks and fissures."

"Rain has a devastating effect on wood, especially if it is old. It quickly penetrates the wood through its porosity and damages it," observes art commentator Emiliano Salvatore, adding: "In fact, the rain dilates the lignin, graying the wood. The water that infiltrates and penetrates the wood, turning into steam due to the effect of the wood, causes the paint to peel. Humidity creates the ideal habitat for the bacteriological attack by xylophagous insects, mold and fungi."

In 1600, the miraculous cross was taken to St. Peter's Basilica for the jubilee called for by Pope Innocent X. During the Lent of the Great Jubilee of 2000, the crucifix was put on exposition on the Altar of the Confession in St. Peter's Basilica. Pope St. John Paul II celebrated the "Day of Pardon" before the cross.

On March 15, Pope Francis walked to the Basilica of St. Mary Major to pray before the icon of Salus Populi Romani for the cessation of the Wuhan virus epidemic. From the basilica, the pope walked about half a mile to the Church of San Marcello al Corso to pray before the miraculous crucifix.

The Byzantine icon of Salus Populi Romani was also processed through Rome by Pope Gregory I in 593 for an end to the plague known as the Black Death.

"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Archbp. Lefebvre 1980

Hildegard
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Miraculous Crucifix Ruined at Pope Francis’ Urbi et Orbi? Apr 3, 2020 20:34:42 GMT

Post by Hildegard on Apr 3, 2020 20:34:42 GMT

Praise God: Damage To Miraculous Crucifix Not As Bad As Reported

April 1, 2020 by sd

From Crux News:

According to Father Padre Enrico Casini, rector of Rome’s Saint Marcellus church, which houses the so-called “miraculous crucifix” believed to have been damaged during a prayer event with Pope Francis, the harm is not serious and they are expecting to get the priceless treasure back soon.

Speaking to Crux, Casini said “it’s possible” that the crucifix suffered “a little bit” of damage, as it sat under a steady rainfall for around two hours, but from his understanding, “it’s something light that can be fixed in a short time.”

Dating to the 15th century, the crucifix gained a miraculous reputation after surviving a fire in 1519 which burned the original church housing it to the ground. According to tradition, the morning after the fire the crucifix was found completely intact, and since then it has become a point of reference for those seeking special graces.

Damage to ‘miraculous crucifix’ not as serious as reported, rector says.

FULL STORY

Damage to ‘miraculous crucifix’ not as serious as reported, rector says

Elise Ann Allen
Apr 1, 2020

SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

Pope Francis prays in front of a miraculous crucifix that in 1552 was carried in a procession around Rome to stop the great plague, during an Urbi et orbi prayer from the empty St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Friday, March 27, 2020. (Credit: Yara Nardi/Pool Photo via AP.)

ROME - According to Father Padre Enrico Casini, rector of Rome’s Saint Marcellus church, which houses the so-called “miraculous crucifix” believed to have been damaged during a prayer event with Pope Francis, the harm is not serious and they are expecting to get the priceless treasure back soon.

Speaking to Crux, Casini said “it’s possible” that the crucifix suffered “a little bit” of damage, as it sat under a steady rainfall for around two hours, but from his understanding, “it’s something light that can be fixed in a short time.”

Dating to the 15th century, the crucifix gained a miraculous reputation after surviving a fire in 1519 which burned the original church housing it to the ground. According to tradition, the morning after the fire the crucifix was found completely intact, and since then it has become a point of reference for those seeking special graces.

In 1522, the crucifix was carried in procession throughout Rome for 16 days in the midst of a massive plague outbreak.

Pope Francis borrowed the crucifix for a March 27 extraordinary prayer service for an end to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, which he held before an empty Square from the sagrato of St. Peter’s Basilica, meaning the platform at the top of the steps immediately in front of the façade of the church.

The service included an Urbi et Orbi blessing, “to the city and the world,” usually offered by popes only at Christmas and Easter.

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Following the prayer event, reports emerged saying the crucifix had possibly been irreparably damaged due to the rain. Reports said the waterlogged wood had swollen up and burst apart in areas, and stucco coating Jesus’s body was seriously eroded.

It was also reported that a light layer of paint was rinsed off the ancient treasure, including tempera used to paint blood flowing from Jesus’s face were washed off, and that ripples had formed on the wood where Jesus’s hair is, with some details on the arms also being lost.

Casini confirmed that the crucifix was taken to the Vatican restoration labs after the pope’s prayer event Friday. Though he stressed that he does not have exact details, he said he has read the reports about the extent of the damage done, but in his view, “what was said is not correct.”

Representatives of the Vatican’s restoration labs, he said, “confirmed with us that there is nothing serious. It’s not in our hands, but we trust that there are no problems.”

“It was under the rain for some time,” so it’s possible that the crucifix was harmed in some way, but “It’s in good hands,” Casini said, voicing confidence that the crucifix is not ruined or beyond repair, as has been reported.

“I think it could even be better than before,” when it comes back after restoration, he said, “because it needed it.”

Rome-based art historian Liz Lev decried an exaggerated concern for the crucifix without an appreciation for the reality it depicts.

Whatever damage done to the crucifix “is secondary to the symbol of hope,” she said, noting that “The damage to the actual body of the real Christ was far worse.”

Reports lamenting the loss of “a precious piece of art such as the crucifix - a work that no one cared about until last week - run the risk of idolatry,” she said, because, “the object itself is more important than what the object stands for.”