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 Estimated reading time: 5 min. |
 M. Sola y S. Gaudio  Santiago Gaudio |
Christ is washing an old lady’s feet. But this is not any woman, but a Mapuche priestess. With the idea of the union between cultures, the author chose Grandmother Rosa Canicul as a model. She is a member of the Pullán Pullán Mapuche community, from the Malleo River.
Doña Rosa’s hand reflects the symbol of the prophet. In the Byzantine iconography, Jesus is also the Trinity, the blessing and she is seen as a saint woman by the Mapuche people.
Station 8. “Jesus Prays at Gethsemane” Inspired in the biblical text of Mark 14, 32-42:
“...My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death....”
This was the first sculpture to be portrayed in the park. At first, the idea was to make a Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) but it was then modified in order to build a Via Christi (Christ’s whole life). |
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At this square, Christ shows his human side when sorrow and grief invade his body.
Station 9. “Jesus is Scourged” Inspired in the biblical text of Mark John 19, 1-3
“So Pilate then took Jesus, and flogged him.”
At this station, we watch Jesus tied to a post and hands coming out off the ground and punishing him with a whip on his back. But if we watch closely, we can see that the post has the shape of a missile that is being stopped by Jesus’ hands. |
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Station 10. “Jesus Carries the Cross” Inspired in the biblical text of John 19, 17:
“So they took Jesus and led him away. He went out, bearing his cross, to the place called ‘The Place of a Skull’ which is called in Hebrew, ‘Golgotha’".”
Here we see Jesus carrying the cross on His shoulders. There are undernourished human figures filled with grief encrusted in the cross. Thus, the artist shows that Christ is bearing the load of the sins of man and of injustice, such as starvation.
Unlike the rest of the stations, we notice that there is no circular base in this one. Jesus is on a path, which represents the path that we will eventually walk in our lives as we carry our own cross. |
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Station 11. “Jesus Is Deprived of His Garments” Inspired in the biblical text of John 19, 23-24:
“Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts, to every soldier a part.”
A mixture of historical episodes is seen in this station. Three characters that left their stamp on the conquest of America take part in this sculpture. Pizarro, Spanish conqueror, is nailing the stake in one of Christ’s hands. Jesus is represented by a beardless Indian. And General Julio A. Roca is depriving him of his poncho. In short, this is the representation of the conquest uprooting the primitive cultures. |
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Station 12. “Jesus, Mary and John” Inspired in the biblical text of John 19, 25-17
“…when Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!Jpulo: 'Ahí tienes a tu madre'.’”
Jesus gives us his mother and John, who are personified by Ceferino and the mothers of Plaza de Mayo (the mothers of the disappeared), who wear white scarves on their heads and escorted the cross in the most difficult times in the history of Argentina. |
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Station 13. “Jesus Gives up His Spirit” Inspired in the biblical text of Matthew 27, 50:
“Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit.”
This station makes visitors feel particularly amazed. The scene is heart rending indeed. The crown of thorns and the spears across his body transmit extreme physical pain and a feeling of abandonment.
On the other hand, we know that everything is concluding. Jesus’ humanity in its maximum expression. |
Station 14. “Jesus dies and His body Is Removed from the Cross” Inspired in the biblical text of Luke 23, 50-53:
“He took it down, and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that was cut in stone, where no one had ever been laid.”
Mother Mary embraces her son who has just died. The mountain range “Pietá”, as explained by the artist, is observed in the position of the mother, which is very typical of the people of the soil, similar to the position they assume at childbirth, crouching down.
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Station 15. “The White Cross”
In 1950, a group of settlers of Junín de los Andes had the wish to raise a cross on top of this hill. After several joint efforts, they achieved their goal four years later.
The symbology represented by the circle lying at the foot of the cross expresses the “I am” statements of the Scriptures:
“I am the Light”, “the Truth”, “the Life”, “the Good Shepherd”, “the Door”, “the Alpha and the Omega”, “the Sprout”, “the Resurrection”, “the Bread”, “the Star”, “the Path”. |
Station 16. “Jesus Meets Mary Magdalene” Inspired in the biblical text of John 20, 11-16:
“She turned and said to him, ‘Rhabbouni!’ which is to say, ‘Teacher!’"
At this square we see resurrected Jesus in front of Mary Magdalene, a woman discriminated by the people due to her lifestyle, but who felt a great unique love for God |
Station 17. “Jesus and the disciples of Emmaus” Inspired in the biblical text of Luke 24, 30-32:
“…when he had sat down at the table with them, he took the bread and gave thanks. Breaking it, he gave to them. Their eyes were opened, and they recognized him…”
All those who have worked in the creation of the Via Christi, visitors, pilgrims, artists and those who worked in the project are represented in this figure. A mixture of disbelief and hope, of grief and enthusiasm, of interrogation and faith. The path of life followed by each of us accompanied by someone walking next to us who wishes to make our hearts burn for all of us to be one. |
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Sub Secretaría de Turismo y Cultura
Padre Milanesio 590 (8371) Junín de los Andes - Neuquén - Argentina
Tel/Fax: +54 2972 49-1160 / 2575
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