TheEnte Chiesa Cattedrale di Lucca has announced the permanent relocation of the Holy Face to its Tempietto inside the Cathedral of San Martino in Lucca. The move follows a restoration that restored the wooden crucifix to its appearance attested between the 9th and 17th centuries. The presentation of the new arrangement is scheduled for Thursday, June 18, 2026 at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral. The following day, Friday, June 19, at the same venue, Archbishop of Lucca Paolo Giulietti will preside over a Mass at 9 a.m. In the afternoon, at 6:30 p.m., a public presentation of the intervention is scheduled.
The Holy Face, 250 centimeters high, 270 centimeters wide and 40 centimeters deep, is placed on a cross measuring 442 x 286 centimeters. The work has been kept in the cathedral for more than a thousand years and is one of the main identity elements of the city of Lucca. Its iconography refers to Christus triumphans, a depiction of Christ victorious over death and evil. During the Middle Ages, the Holy Face established itself as one of the most widespread and revered sacred images in the European sphere. Tradition identifies it as the true portrait of Christ carved by the disciple Nicodemus after the crucifixion, according to the narrative recorded in the Gospel of St. John.
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| The Holy Face returns to the Tempietto of Lucca Cathedral after restoration |
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