The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-08-18
Origin of 1.-THE Stations of the Gross"

Historical Investigations made by
the Rev. Herbert Thurston seem to
prove the reverse of the common be-
lief concerning the origin of the sta
tions of the cross" says the Literary
Digest. These stations are the objects
of certain fixed forms Of Catholic de-
votions representing scenes commence
ing with the sentence of death in the
pretorium, and followed by the taking
up of the cross, the first and second
falls. the meeting with Our Lady,
Simon of Cyrene, Veronica, the women
of Jerusalem, the third fall, the strip
ping, etc, down the deposition and the
, tomb" These stations are at the pres
emf day pointed to in various parts Of
the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, copies
of which are supposed o have been
transported to the west; but the inves-
hen gradually transported ?shrdluetaohrd
legations Of the writer show that the
stations We're first invented in the
west and then gradually transported
to Jerusalem. Says the Catholic Fort
nightly Review (St Louis):
This is in essence the outcome Of
the investigation. In the first place
it is fairly we'll known that, down to
say the fourteenth century, the Via
Doloros;l of Jerusalem fails to mani
fest any definite existence. Various
spots however, which have been en-
found indicated piecemeal in old pill
srims' and chroniclers' writings. The
following are the earliest records of
their appearance in history: Pretorium.
1896; receiving of the cross, 1915;
meeting Mary and Simon of Cyrene,
1896; Neronic;,'s house, 1920 (possibly
1850; fall at the gate, 1888; women
Of Jerusalem, thirteenth century; third
fail. 1885; stations of Calvary, 1893;
deposition and entombment, 1921.
The earliest sign of Il special recog-
milton of a via crucis seems to be in the
year 1857, but without any particular
allusion to definite stopping places on
the route. And the curious thing is
, that where IL definite circuit was fol-
lowed, it was always in the reverse d.
'rection-viZ.: from the site of Calvary
to the pretorium.
Two separate developments yradu-
ally took place-one in the east, the
other in the west. In Europe devOut
people were moved by devotion to set
up stations in churches and cloisters,
in order to make in spirit the Pilgrim
ages which they were unable to make
in reality. In Jerusalem itself a par
allel growth took place of following a
definite route from the pretorium to
Calvary; and into this route the va
rious stations came gradually to be
fitted
There was, however. Il great amount
of variation in the assignment of the
stations, both in Europe and in Pal
estine. Gradually the eastern and
"e''ei" 9s'ieS alihe oeG"''le stereotype
ed, but in different wayS-the pious
European devotees following the one
system, the guardians of the holy
places another. In the conflict between
the two. the western practice prevail
ed; hence. while the inspiration to set
up II way of the cross originally came
from Jerusalem, the result was that
the western system finally imposed it.
self on the Holy City-so that, to use
the words of Father ThurStOn, our
present series of stations of the rross
comes To us, not from Jerusalem, but
from Louvain.'"