Renaissance Devotion and the Volto Santo of Lucca

The Volto Santo of Lucca is a monumental painted wooden crucifix which has been housed in the cathedral of San Martino in Lucca since the Middle Ages. The work was considered a non-corporal relic and was purported to show the actual face of Christ. A new chapel for the Volto Santo was completed by Matteo Civitali in 1484, thereby reframing the relic and applying additional sacramental meaning to the crucifix in order to satisfy the evolving spiritual demands of Renaissance worshippers. The structure conditioned the experience of the viewer, presenting the Volto Santo in a setting evocative of Baptism, the Eucharist, and the Holy Sepulcher. The chapel highlighted these aspects of Christianity which were familiar to worshippers, while allowing for a unique and intimate encounter with the divine.