Calvary and Stabat Mater Shrine

This square-plan chapel, with two terracotta arches over the corner pilasters, houses the most dramatic scene from the Via Dolorosa, the Crucifixion of Christ between the thieves. The wall that the three crosses lean against offers a further example of the ingenious integration of fresco and terracotta sculpture to create the illusion of perspective. In the sculptural pieces, the dynamic depiction of the tense bodies of thieves is juxtaposed with the more conventional face and pose of Christ. The Stabat Mater Shrine is connected to the chapel, but the statues of Mary, John and the Pious Women are situated in a niche below the floor level of the chapel. This allows them to look into the room containing the Crucifixion scene, and take part in the agony of Christ from the side-lines, creating a theatrical effect of great intensity. The crack that runs through the floor and continues on the external wall of the chapel alludes to the earthquake that, according to the gospel tradition, shook the earth at the time of Christ’s death.