Commemorating the last day of Jesus’ life
The Stations of the Cross (also called the Way of the Cross) is a traditional liturgical devotion
commemorating the last day of Jesus’ life. The devotion originated with pilgrims in Jerusalem
retracing the traditional steps Jesus is believed to have followed on Good Friday. Since not all
Christians could make pilgrimages to Jerusalem, however, the custom arose of replicating the
devotion in congregational and individual settings, often with images or carvings on the walls of
a church to commemorate each of the traditional 14 stations (or stops) on the Way of the Cross.
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