Science has confirmed the incredible age of this famous crucifix

The famous Crucifix of the Sacred Face, according to the Christian tradition, it was sculpted by St. Nicodemus, prominent Jew of the time of Christ: is it really so?

In June 2020 the National Institute of Nuclear Physics of Florence conducted a radiocarbon dating study of this crucifix located in the Cathedral of Lucca.

This work of art is revered as the "Holy Face of Lucca", a devotion that emerged in the Middle Ages when pilgrims stopped in the Tuscan walled city which was on the pilgrimage route of the Via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome.

The scientific study confirmed the local Catholic tradition on the basis of a historical document according to which the Crucifix of the Sacred Face arrived in the city at the end of the eighth century. The result of the analysis specified that the object of devotion was made between 770 and 880 AD

However, the study also ruled out that the Crucifix on the Sacred Face is the work of Nicodemus because it is at least eight centuries older.

Anna Maria Giusti, scientific consultant of the Cathedral of Lucca, in a statement released by the National Institute of Nuclear Physics of Italy declared: “For centuries a lot has been written on the Holy Face but always in terms of faith and piety. Only in the twentieth century did a great critical debate about its dating and style begin. The prevailing opinion was that this work dates back to the second half of the XNUMXth century. Finally, the evaluation of this age has closed this old controversial problem ”.

At the same time, the specialist emphasized: “Now we can consider it as the oldest wooden statue of the West that has been handed down to us”.

The Archbishop of Lucca, Paolo Giulietti, he commented: “The Holy Face is not just one of the many crucifixes of our Italy and our Europe. It is a "living memory" of Christ crucified and risen ".

Source: ChurchPop.com.