The Stations of the Cross (or Way of the Cross; in Latin, Via Crucis; also called the Via Dolorosa or Way of Sorrows, or simply, The Way) is a popular Catholic devotion that commemorates Jesus Christ's last day on Earth as a man. The 14 devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of His last day, beginning with His condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a mini-pilgrimage as the individual moves from station to station. At each station, the individual recalls and meditates on a specific event from Christ's last day. Specific prayers are recited, then the individual moves to the next station until all 14 are complete.

Origins in Jerusalem

The Stations of the Cross originated in pilgrimages to Jerusalem and a desire to reproduce the Via Dolorosa. From the very first days of Christianity, the faithful in the Holy City venerated the places associated with Christ's Passion. The pilgrim Egeria (c. 381-384 AD) described in her travel diary the Holy Week processions that retraced the path from the Mount of Olives to Calvary, one of the earliest written accounts of this practice.

After the siege of 1187, Jerusalem fell to the forces of Saladin. Forty years later, Franciscans were allowed back into the Holy Land. Their founder, Saint Francis of Assisi, held the Passion of Christ in special veneration and was said to have received the stigmata -- the wounds of Christ -- on Mount La Verna in 1224.

The Franciscans

In 1342, Pope Clement VI appointed the Franciscan Order as official custodians of the Holy Land through the Custodia Terrae Sanctae (Custody of the Holy Land), a role they hold to this day. The Franciscans established a fixed processional route through the streets of Jerusalem, marking the places where tradition held that specific events occurred during Christ's walk to Calvary.

Travelers who visited the Holy Land were encouraged to follow the path of Christ to Calvary. Upon returning home, many pilgrims sought to reproduce the experience. The Blessed Alvarez of Cordoba (d. 1430) erected one of the earliest known sets of outdoor stations at his Dominican friary near Cordoba, Spain, with small chapels at each stop along a winding path.

Spread to the West

Realizing that few people could afford to travel to the Holy Land, the Franciscans began erecting stations within their churches and monasteries across Europe. The number of stations varied widely in these early centuries -- anywhere from 7 to 37 stations were used in different locations. It was not until the 18th century that the number was definitively fixed at 14.

In 1686, Pope Innocent XI granted the Franciscans the right to erect stations within their churches. In 1731, Pope Clement XII extended to all churches the right to have the stations, provided that a Franciscan father erected them, with the consent of the local bishop. At the same time the number was fixed at fourteen. In 1857, the bishops themselves were granted authority to erect stations without Franciscan assistance.

St. Leonard of Port Maurice

No individual did more to spread the Stations of the Cross than St. Leonard of Port Maurice (1676-1751), a Franciscan priest who erected 571 sets of stations across Italy during his lifetime. His most famous installation was in the Roman Colosseum in 1750, at the invitation of Pope Benedict XIV. Leonard's tireless work earned him the title "Apostle of the Way of the Cross."

The Colosseum stations were removed in 1874 but restored by Pope Pius XI in 1926. To this day, the Pope leads the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum every Good Friday, continuing the tradition St. Leonard established nearly three centuries ago.

St. Alphonsus Liguori

The most widely used meditations for the Stations of the Cross are those of St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787), Doctor of the Church and founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists). His text, composed in Italian in the mid-18th century, combines a brief "Consider" passage with an individual prayer at each station.

Liguori's meditations are notable for their directness, their personal address to Jesus, and the refrain that ends every prayer: "Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me what You will." This text remains the standard in Catholic parishes worldwide and is the primary text used in this app.

The Scriptural Stations (1991)

In 1991, Pope St. John Paul II introduced the Scriptural Way of the Cross, in which every station is drawn directly from the Gospels. This version replaces stations that lack explicit scriptural basis (such as the three falls and Veronica's veil) with events recorded in the Gospel narratives, including Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter's denial, and the promise to the Good Thief.

The Scriptural Stations are used at the Vatican's Good Friday service on alternating years and have become increasingly popular in parishes around the world, particularly those seeking a more biblically grounded form of the devotion.

The Stations Today

Today, the Stations of the Cross can be found in virtually every Catholic church in the world. The devotion is prayed year-round but is most commonly associated with Fridays during Lent, especially Good Friday. Many parishes hold communal Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings during Lent, often with sung Stabat Mater verses between stations.

The devotion has also been adapted for specific communities and concerns. Stations have been composed for prisoners, for the sick, for young people, for those affected by war and injustice, and for ecological awareness. These adaptations testify to the enduring power of the devotion to connect the suffering of Christ with the suffering of the world.