Stations of the Cross

Our Lady requested of Bernadette that people should come to Lourdes to do Penance. To help us understand our need of penance we meditate on the Passion and Death of our Blessed Lord, since this was the means by which our redemption was brought about.

Each 'Station' of the cross is an invitation to contemplate and experience a pivotal moment from Jesus’ sentencing to his death to his burial. They are a powerful way to step into some of the most significant moments in human history and encounter Jesus like never before.

Pilgrims in Lourdes are offered two opportunities to pray the Stations of the Cross, to walk the Via Crucis: the High Stations located on the Hill of Espélugues and the Low Stations located on the Prarie.

Credit: Mac Diarmada

The High Stations

The Espélugues Stations of the Cross, inaugurated in September 1912, stretches over 1,500 metres and involves difficult climbs and descents. It comprises 15 stations depicting 115 life-size statues in patinated cast iron.

Each tableau of statues illustrates a key event in the life of Christ during his Passion: from His condemnation by Pontius Pilate to His entombment on Good Friday evening.

First Station

Jesus is condemnded to death.

Second Station

Jesus takes up his cross.

Third Station

Jesus falls for the first time.

Fourth Station

Jesus meets his mother.

Fifth Station

Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus

carry the cross.

Sixth Station

Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.

Seventh Station

Jesus falls the second time.

Eighth Station

Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem.

Ninth Station

Jesus falls a third time.

Tenth Station

Jesus is stripped of his garments.

Eleventh Station

Jesus is nailed to the cross.

Twelfth Station

Jesus dies on the cross.

Thirteenth Station

Jesus is taken down from the cross.

Fourteenth Station

Jesus is laid in the tomb.

Photo Credit: Mac Diarmada

The Low Stations

Photo Credit: Diocese of Meath

The Way of the Cross located on the Prarie is dedicated to the sick and the handicapped. It was commissioned by the sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes and financed by the donations of pilgrims. The suffering of Jesus in 17 stations (which includes the Resurrection and Emmaus was sculptured by Maria de Faykod over several years and nearly 100 tonnes of Marble taken and used from the white mountains of Carrara.

During our Diocesan pilgrimage, pilgrims are invited to pray the Stations of the Cross uniting together in prayer for those who are sick, those who are suffering.