The crucifixes of Burgos and Lucca travelled across the sea: a study of worship around the peregrinations maiores

Abstract

«Deo gubernante» is the expression used to describe the way the famous acheropite image in Lucca crossed the Mediterranean. The legend of a vessel crossing the sea with no hand on the helm is found in various stories of saints, bodies, statues and miraculous relics, for example the arrival of the body of St. James in Galicia. The Holy Christ of Burgos, in one of the key locations on the Camino di Santiago, also shares elements with the statue in Lucca. This sacred image is believed to be the work of Nicodemus, like the Holy Face in Lucca. It is no coincidence that the hagiographic traditions are intertwined: the two sanctuaries are important points on the route to Rome and Santiago, destinations of the medieval peregrinationes maiores.