"Ave Crux Spes Unica!" - Crucifixes in Rome

I have a particular love for beautiful crucifixes, and many can be found in Rome.  While I am sure there are many more magnificent crucifixes in Rome, here are a few I found during my recent trip.

The crucifix is an ancient Christian symbol, and archaeologists have discovered crucifixes in Rome which date back to the 400's. The symbol evolved over the centuries, sometimes showing Jesus' body as twisted and bleeding in the Middle Ages to emphasize the role of suffering in salvation.  During the Renaissance, Jesus was often depicted with His arms outstretched, His head bowed, and His eyes closed.

After the Protestant "reformation" of the 16th Century, the crucifix (as well as the cross, in the case of John Calvin) was banned by many Protestants as "idolatry" and "popery." The crucifix has returned to some Protestant venues in the past few centuries, but for the most part it remains a symbol of the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

While many find the image of the crucifix to be "morbid," it is a great hope to us all.  The crucifix emphasizes Christ's sacrifice on the cross which redeemed mankind.  This tragic crucifixion is resolved by Christ rising from the dead to conquer death.  The crucifixion is not morbid - it is proof of Jesus' great love for us all by dying on the cross for our sins.

"Vexilla Regis"

Hymn, 6th Century, written by Bishop Venantius Fortunatus of Poitiers, France when a relic (piece) of Christ's cross was brought to Poitiers for veneration.

Verses 1, 3, 9, and 10:

Abroad the regal banners fly,

now shines the Cross's mystery:

upon it Life did death endure,

and yet by death did life procure.

Who, wounded with a direful spear,

did purposely to wash us clear

from stain of sin, pour out a flood

of precious water mixed with blood.

Hail Cross, of hopes the most sublime!

Now, in the mournful Passion time; 

grant to the just increase of grace,

and every sinner's crimes efface.

Blest Trinity, salvation's spring

may every soul Thy praises sing;

to those Thou grantest conquest by

the Holy Cross, rewards supply.

A crucifix in the church of San Francesco a Ripa, in Rome.  The church is dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi because the adjacent convent hosted his visit to Rome in 1229, while the term Ripa refers to the nearby river-edge of the Tiber.  I always love to come across old crucifixes in confessionals, as the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the means by which our sins committed after baptism are remitted:

A beautiful crucifix at the church of Santa Maria dell'Orto - a church built in the 15th Century and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary:

A crucifix in the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, built in the 16th Century:

A beautiful painting of the crucifixion in the Basilica of Saint Mark, built in the 4th Century, rebuilt in the 9th Century, and restored in the 17th Century:

The magnificent crucifix at the Church of the Gesu, the 16th Century mother church of the Jesuits:

Crucifix in the Basilica of Saint Augustine, built in the 15th Century and restored in the 19th Century under Pope Pius IX: