Any Rules for "Stations of the Cross" Art?

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in_servitude

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I’m thinking of doing some art for the “Stations of the Cross.” Are there rules about this kind of work? Materials? Does the Catholic Church specify any kind of requirements?

My assumption is, “No.” But, I’d like to ask just in case. My intention is to be 100% aligned with the Church.
 
My understanding is that you just need the crosses. Any artwork is extra. 😃

There are also different versions of the Stations with different events and even number of events commemorated. During World Youth Day, there was a display of huge floats from all over Spain depicting various ‘stations’ that included Judas leaving the Last Supper and Peter and the cock-crow. They were beautiful!
 
Mrs_Sally said:
My understanding is that you just need the crosses. Any artwork is extra. 😃

There are also different versions of the Stations with different events and even number of events commemorated. During World Youth Day, there was a display of huge floats from all over Spain depicting various ‘stations’ that included Judas leaving the Last Supper and Peter and the cock-crow. They were beautiful!
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The original Via Crucis in Jerusalem has only engraved crosses and Roman numerals at each point. Technically, that’s all you need, but artwork helps to focus one’s mind, since one is not actually there.

Conversely, the Franciscan chapel at the Holy Sepulcher has 3-D Stations, with miniature bronze “bodies” processing along the sides of the chapel from I to XIV. That sort of elaboration would be well beyond ordinary means.

ICXC NIKA
 
No rules, just don’t make it ugly, and don’t make Our Lord a woman and Our Lady a man, and make sure it’s a cross and not a tree, cuz, you know…crosses are offensive.
 
I don’t know of any official rules. I do hope that yo will create stations which will be intelligible to all who attend your church. Stations that will help them to know their faith. Stations that will teach the children as well as adults. Stations which may be read like a book, each picture, taking us down the path to the cross and resurrection. May god bless your good work and may it prove a blessing to all who encounter it. Amen.
 
CatholicLife said:
Please don’t make them look like this!😃
http://www.stjudeshop.com/resources/StJudeShop/images/products/processed/as-512.zoom.a.jpg
Or this
stjohnonbethnalgreen.org/?page_id=23
:eek:
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While I don’t care for the first, I do like the most of the stations in the second set. I guess it’s all in the eyes of the beholder. My friend, an artist, could look at the “stained glass” pictures our Pastor used for the stations one Lent and see exactly what the Pastor saw – for the longest time I saw only blocks of colour but could not decipher what they were. I eventually did, it wasn’t abstract or anything, but it did not speak to me in any way, shape or form (pun intended).
 
jeannetherese said:
I don’t know of any official rules. I do hope that yo will create stations which will be intelligible to all who attend your church. Stations that will help them to know their faith. Stations that will teach the children as well as adults. Stations which may be read like a book, each picture, taking us down the path to the cross and resurrection. May god bless your good work and may it prove a blessing to all who encounter it. Amen.
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I feel a strong pull to do it. If the Holy Spirit wills it, then I will complete the effort. I hope it will meet each of your constraints fully.

I should mention that this is coming about because I am putting together a “meditation” room. I’d like the stations to be in this room. When I looked around, the options were mostly expensive. I didn’t find one that I wanted in my room for less than $500.
 
in_servitude said:
I feel a strong pull to do it. If the Holy Spirit wills it, then I will complete the effort. I hope it will meet each of your constraints fully.

I should mention that this is coming about because I am putting together a “meditation” room. I’d like the stations to be in this room. When I looked around, the options were mostly expensive. I didn’t find one that I wanted in my room for less than $500.
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Since you’re doing it for yourself, you’re only limited by your talent and your taste. You can even make them abstract if you’re the only one that sees them and you ‘see’ what they represent.

They can be statues, paintings, stained glass, whatever speaks to you.
 
in_servitude said:
I’m thinking of doing some art for the “Stations of the Cross.” Are there rules about this kind of work? Materials? Does the Catholic Church specify any kind of requirements?

My assumption is, “No.” But, I’d like to ask just in case. My intention is to be 100% aligned with the Church.
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No. There are not rules other than good taste.

The stations of the cross are Catholic by default. What does this mean?

They were created by St. Francis of Assisi for the sake of peasants who could not read the passion. They were not created by the Church, but like most Franciscans customs, they were adopted by many other orders and secular Catholics. The original were simply 14 crosses along the side of the road.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, FFV 🙂
 
JReducation said:
No. There are not rules other than good taste.
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The world has enough art done in bad taste. No need to add to it.
The stations of the cross are Catholic by default. What does this mean?
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They were created by St. Francis of Assisi for the sake of peasants who could not read the passion. They were not created by the Church, but like most Franciscans customs, they were adopted by many other orders and secular Catholics. The original were simply 14 crosses along the side of the road.
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Fraternally,
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Br. JR, FFV 🙂
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Thanks for that. I’ll be nice to stay in line with that kind of thinking.
 
in_servitude said:
The world has enough art done in bad taste. No need to add to it.

Thanks for that. I’ll be nice to stay in line with that kind of thinking.
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Just remember the importance of good taste. 😃

Nothing bothers me more than religious art that I can’t identify.

I love to see new art forms and to see the evolution of art. I don’t believe that every Church has to sport Renaissance art and architecture. There are other forms of art that are equally beautiful. In my travels as a missionary I saw art forms from the Amazon, different eras in Europe, the United States and the Caribbean. I believe that all of these schools can be used for religious art.

The problem is that religious art is meant to be didactic as well as decorative. Too often the didactic part is missing. I have looked at pieces of religious art and had to ask, “Who or what is it?” If I have to ask, then it’s not didactic. It may be decorative, but that’s one of two legs required in religious art.

I’ll never forget being in Rome for the beatification of Bl. John Paul. I went to the unveiling of the statue downtown. I said to an Opus Dei classmate who was with me,

**“Che cos’è? Perché ha una palla da bowling in cima?” ** :eek:

Translation: What is that thing? Why does it have a bowling ball on top?

His immediate reply was, “Credo che si tratta di una cabina telefonica. Non abbiamo telefoni pubblici a pagamento a Roma.” :confused:

Translation: I believe it’s a telephone booth. But we don’t have pay phones in Rome.

Get my point?

Fraternally,

Br. JR, FFV 🙂

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