The Holy Face, or the crucifix of the Lucca cathedral, is the oldest wooden statue in the West. This is confirmed by the tests carried out with the carbon 14 method at the headquarters of the institute of nuclear physics Chnet (Cultural heritage network) of Florence. The news was spread on the occasion of the celebrations for the 950th anniversary of the foundation of the Lucca cathedral.
The Holy Face, in fact, is kept in the cathedral dedicated to Saint Martin walk. Annamaria Giusti, scientific consultant for the celebrations of the cathedral of Lucca, reiterates: "The ascertained antiquity of the Holy Face closes the age-old and controversial problem regarding the time of execution of this work. Now we can consider the crucifix to be the oldest wooden sculpture of the West that has come down to us ".
The Holy Face
The tests were carried out on three wooden samples of the sculpture and on a fragment of canvas applied to the wooden surface. The results showed that the work was carried out between the end of the eighth and the beginning of the ninth century. The crucifix, symbol of Lucca, is one of the most revered sacred images of Christianity. In the Middle Ages, the cult of the Holy Face spread throughout Europe, so much so that thousands of pilgrims each year moved from different locations to venerate the wooden crucifix of Lucca. A continuous stream of people venturing along the Via Francigena to go on pilgrimage to the foot of the sacred icon of Christ.
It is said that in England, in 1087, King William II took a solemn oath in the name of the Holy Face and even Dante, the Supreme Poet, mentioned it in the Divine Comedy. The non-invasive investigations carried out on the sculpture (radiographs and multispectral analyzes) revealed the presence of polychromy under the dark color of the icon. Furthermore, a survey campaign of the microclimate inside the chapel of the Holy Face is underway which, for a year, will test the values relating to humidity and temperature. Factors that are fundamental for the conservation of a wooden work.
The sacred effigy of Christ and the Lucca Church
“For the Christian community of Lucca and for the whole of Western Christianity, the Holy Face is not just one of the many crucifixes that dot our Italy and our Europe. It is a relic, that is, a 'living remembrance' of the crucified and risen Christ. It is a memorial which has its origins in antiquity and which has left indelible traces in the culture, spirituality of Lucca and the entire continent ". Are some considerations of Msgr. Paolo Giulietti, archbishop of Lucca on the sacred icon of the wooden crucifix. “The presence of the Holy Face in the cathedral - he says Don Mauro Lucchesi, rector of the cathedral of Lucca - has always had a notable importance, first as a reference also for the civil life of the Republic and then of the city.
In fact, the sacred effigy of Christ was recognized and crowned as Rex Lucentium. The image was reproduced on the buildings, on the city gates, in official government documents and even in coins ”. The celebrations for the 950th anniversary of the refoundation of the cathedral will continue next autumn, after the interruption due to thepandemic emergency. Among the many initiatives planned also the works for the rearrangement of the Chapel of Sant'Apollinare, where the sepulcher of Ilaria del Carretto, a famous masterpiece by Iacopo della Quercia.
