The prison of Christ

The small oratory commemorates the chapel of the Prison of Christ which was located in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, although some scholars believe the building was originally dedicated to the apparition of Christ to the Blessed Mother. The statue, located in the small apse, presents Christ in prayer with his arms crossed over his chest in a pose dear to the Franciscan tradition, which brings out the pronounced expressionistic portrayal of his gaunt, stricken face. Dressed in a tunic rather than a purple cloak, and with no sign of the crown of thorns, the figure seems to depart from the typical iconography of the Via Crucis, something which makes the hypothesis that this sculpture was originally placed in another chapel seem plausible. The story of the Prison of Christ is not described in the Gospels. However, even today, the Franciscans of Jerusalem pause in prayer in front of this chapel during their daily procession.