Stations of the Cross (Via Crucis)

“After the death of Lord Jesus, Holy Mother Mary didn’t stop shedding tears on the Stations of the Cross as long as she lived in Jerusalem. She measured the distances between each station repeatedly because during ongoing contemplation she wouldn’t abstain from filling her soul with her son’s love. When she came to Ephesus, every day she continued having meditations on the stations of the cross remembering her son’s sorrows and following a certain route behind her house leading to the mountain. In this place, she determined a replica of Via Crucis which was originally in Jerusalem. After counting her steps and determining the correct distance she placed a stone or whenever she found a tree in front of her way she was marking it. Stations of the Cross being soaked and blessed with her tears were ending on top of the hill symbolizing Golgotha, in a cave which she considered as the Holy Tomb.

I saw when she finished twelve stations, she devoted herself to silent meditations with her maid. They were sitting at every station and reviving the memory of Lord’s sorrowful mysteries in the deep of their hearts and renewing the vastness of love they were shedding hot tears praising the Son. Then Mary developed the place; I saw her write something on the stones with something with a pointed tip, expressing meaning of each Station, marking number of her steps and drawing similar signs.

Apart from this I saw her clean the cave symbolizing the Holy Tomb and arrange it as a place of prayer. I didn’t see any visions reflecting Stations of the Cross or the Cross itself but I saw written stones. After that I saw the simple station of the cross became more popular gradually in years and beautified. After Mary’s death I saw Christians prostrating on the ground and kissing the ground on the stations enriching the Stations of the Cross.” (Life of Mary according to Anna Katharina Emmerick’s Visions Chapter IV,  Part XI.).