Calvaire (crucifix)
A calvaire is a crucifix around which several biblical persons are represented. These are more or less complex crucifixion groups that not only show Christ between the two thieves, his mother and John , but also scenes from salvation history from the Annunciation to the Resurrection and, more rarely, to the Ascension.
Many of the Calvaires were built in cemeteries, near the church and often near an ossuary .
Brittany
In Brittany , where there are very many Calvaires, crosses that show only a few people apart from Christ are called croix-calvaires . The grand-calvaires have a large number of statues on a mighty base.
The altar-calvaires , which were erected in their village by the parents of a young priest in memory of his ordination before the revolution, are rarer .
The pulpit -Calvaires were used for pilgrimages and popular missions.
literature
- Louise-Marie Tillet: Itineraries through Brittany. Calvaires and Romanesque churches. Echter, Würzburg 1989, ISBN 3-429-01186-8 , pp. 9-12.
