Lucca - Volto Santo, Holy Face, Black Christ; Duomo di San Martino

 Exploring Charlemagne Era Connections - Austria and Italy

Duomo di San Martino, or Cathedral of St. Martin:

Lucca, Italy.

Follow-up to Austria Road Ways, Linz, St. Martin's Church, Martinskirche;

and Austria Road Ways, Kremsmunster Abbey,.

We are looking at roots of the old wooden sculpture of the Black Christ in the Cathedral of St. Martin at Lucca, Italy.   The Volto Santo.  This figure appears on the net in two forms we have found, so far:  a plain and a fancy.

1.1  The Plain Volto Santo.

People's photos conflict: here is one, in a plain white robe with border, see ://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/jasonandsarah/1/1208995260/looking-through-the-decorative-iron-to-jesus.jpg/tpod.html/.  Here is a fair use thumbnail.

2.  The fancy Volto Santo.

Then there is the "Volto Santo" or "Holy Face", the photograph of a different figure, or is it the same but clothed differently, as is customary in many places, as liturgical seasons change.



Both are black, see http://www.stgemma.com/gallery/eng_volto_sancto.html/  Here is a fair use of the Volto Santo from that site, do an images search for volto santo lucca to find it.
Lucca, Italy, is inland and northeast from Pisa, not far from the coast, in Tuscany. Florence is to the northeast.

Lucca was off our path for visiting this time, but old Lucca, in its Charlemagne era prominence (700s?), appeared by chance in two of our Austrian stops during our most recent trip. What is the history of the Lombards, of Lombardy.  How did Charlemagne, from Aachen, Germany (no boundaries in those days) figure so prominently.  His is a fascinating biography - see ://www.chronique.com/Library/MedHistory/charlemagne.htm/ For more of Charlemagne, curl up with something like ://www.cambridge.org/uk/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521716451&ss=ind/

We first found Lucca mentioned during a road trip to Austria:  at Austria Road Ways, Kremsmunster Abbey. Its founding dates from Charlemagne's time, and there is a Chalice from that period, with connections to the Queen of Lucca; who turns out to be one wise, gracious, pious and effective Queen Theodolinda of the Lombards, see ://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,872284,00.html; a/k/a Theodelinda, see ://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/590589/Theodelinda.  Sixth Century.

Then we found a correspondence by name and image of Christ, between little old St. Martin's Church from Charlemagne's time in Linz, Austria, at Austria Road Ways, Linz, St. Martin's Church, Martinskirche.  And the Cathedral of St. Martin in Lucca. 

This Linz Martinskirche has a faded fresco inside that seems to resemble the Black Christ from that period, or earlier; that is kept at St. Martin's Cathedral in Lucca, the Duomo di San Martino. Better photo needed of the Linz fresco.

• So, we look at the figure of a Black Christ, knowing that there are many Black Madonnas, but this is our first exposure to an early Christian Black Christ.

Why is the history of this figure not better known; it has a long history, even if conflicting. People go there and never even look it up, see ://jimcarlucci.com/lucca_&_pisa.htm/ Guide books do not even translate it.  See://goitaly.about.com/od/lucca/tp/lucca-attractions.htm/

Here is a start.  Note that this is history-based, not faith-based. We leave what people believe about something  to them. We are looking for factual context, origins, place in the middle ages and earlier, and after, and any legends or stories about it. Others can derive significance or not.

• Why are there two figures: one plain, one fancy, at the Duomo di San Martino, Lucca

Dressing the figure looks like the answer - as occurs at other shrines as different festivals and seasons turn.  Here is the plain Volto Santo again, from another site. See ://images.google.com/images?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hl=en&source=hp&q=volto+santo+lucca&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=&aqi=/  This one is plain.

• What is the history of The Duomo di San Martino 

 This, as seen now, was built in the 12th-13th Centuries, see ://goitaly.about.com/od/lucca/tp/lucca-attractions.htm/.  See also ://www.italyguides.it/us/italy/tuscany/lucca/duomo-of-san-martino/cathedral-of-st-martin.htm/ 

There was already a church in the town in the 6th Century, a time of San Frediano (an Irish bishop), a Roman basilica style. 

Earlier, there was a more "primitive" church of San Reparata, a 4th Century girl saint, perhaps 11, persecuted, survived first attempt to kill her in fires, survived, then was indeed killed (beheaded) but suddenly a dove appeared and flew up to heaven.  These are wonderful stories, adding to - not detracting from - a fact-based look.  Perhaps with all this detail you will not forget Reparata, as was part of the probable teaching purpose in embellishing and making these stories memorable.

Saint Reparata figures prominently in other areas of belief and politics at the time, see ://en.allexperts.com/e/s/sa/santa_reparata_%28florence%29.htm/.  Do a find for Lucca there, to see the regional view. Lombards, politics, all.

• Some guidebooks are useless in some areas.  Frommer's, for example,  thinks it is stylish to make fun of old things, that it thinks only strange people would believe in, and passes the Volto Santo by, almost entirely, except to be derisive. 

 Finally, there it is. Scroll down here and find its condescending reference, fair use quote:

"This thick-featured, bug-eyed, time-blackened wooden statue of Jesus crucified was rumored to have been started by Nicodemus -- who would've known what he was carving since he was the one who actually took Jesus off the Cross -- but was miraculously completed. Hidden during the persecutions and eventually stuck on a tiny boat by itself and set adrift, it found its way to the Italian port of Luni in 782, where the local bishop was told in a dream to place it in a cart drawn by two wild oxen, and wherever they went, there the Holy Image would stay. The ornery beasts, miraculously submitting meekly to the yoke, wandered over to Lucca and hit the brakes, and the miraculous image has been planted here ever since."

See //www.frommers.com/destinations/lucca/A30489.html

Perhaps it is a "fraud" in that it is not the original.

Frommer's suggests it was carved in the 13th Century.  But, if it also was made at that time to replace an 11th Century rendition "that may have been copied from a Syrian statue from the 700's", then its history is consistent with preserving what to the people there is an important relic. This is apparently the only representation of the face made by someone, or derived from a representation by someone, who was there. That is an interesting point. What if he were dark skinned? What would white-faces around the world do.

Maybe he was bug-eyed.

At least this next site notes significance: that this is the only early figure we have that shows dark skin color on Christ; and it has the wits to make this comment: as probably he was. See ://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Lucca-149133/Things_To_Do-Lucca-Duomo_di_San_Martino-BR-1.html/. And trace the origin to the sculptor, Nicodemus himself, say the legends. He took Christ down from the cross, so he would know. Is that so?  Can myth coexist with science. Here we go.

CRITIQUE AND A POSITIVE NEXT STEP: 

Frommer, with all your profits, why not finance a carbon dating and historical research review of the Holy Visage statue here, and wipe the smirk off.  Proposed:  Facts, and respect, courtesy in opinion, but not condescension in guide books.  

A confirming Frommer fact:  The figure indeed is dressed for festival procession on September 13 and 14, and May 3, of each year.  But get the tone again:  "The Luccans dress their Christ up ...."  Luccans used in this way and in this context sounds like Skywalkerans?

Ugly americans at Frommer these days? Tour guide opinions and points and side stories can indeed be made to enhance a tour experience, add to the fact-base or legend surrounding a figure, but the tone matters.