Overview
The Via Crucis will be retraced by the faithful of the Holy Catholic Church on Good Friday, starting from the Colosseum. This event will be held to commemorate the Passion of Christ, who was betrayed by Judas, thus fulfilling the scriptures.
It is a practice of Christian devotion and piety during which a procession will pass before a series of 14 crosses that represent the last moments of Jesus’ life before the Resurrection. It is a moment to reflect on the Passion of Christ.
The traditional religious event originated in 1750 when Saint Leonard of Porto Maurizio convinced Pope Benedict XIV to build the 14 Stations of the Cross inside the Colosseum, saving the latter from the destruction it was destined for. Following the Unification of Italy, this custom was lost, and it was only in 1964 that Pope Paul VI resumed the tradition of the Via Crucis ritual at the Colosseum.
