stations of the cross

or Stations of the Cross

plural noun

, Ecclesiastical.

1. a series of 14 representations of successive incidents from the Passion of Christ, each with a wooden cross, or a series of wooden crosses alone, set up in a church, or sometimes outdoors, and visited in sequence, for prayer and meditation.

Stations of the Cross

plural noun

1. a series of 14 crosses, often accompanied by 14 pictures or carvings, arranged in order around the walls of a church, to commemorate 14 supposed stages in Christ's journey to Calvary
2. a devotion consisting of 14 prayers relating to each of these stages

Word History and Origins

Origin of stations of the cross¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

The Spanish-language opera, which premiered at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in 2022, sees the Passion of Christ through the eyes of three unnamed, often ignored women who weep for Jesus on his way to crucifixion — an idea that sprung from conversations between Lucero and Stacy Brightman, then the company’s Vice President of Education and Community Outreach, about the traditional stations of the cross.

From Salon

Mid-morning light filtered through stained glass depicting saints and the Stations of the Cross, casting soft pinks and blues and greens across the church: our local parish, St. James.

From Salon

The Queen of Life chapel is outfitted with stained glass, carved wooden pews, the Stations of the Cross and arches recalling a cathedral.

From Los Angeles Times

But it was the statues of Jesus on the Stations of the Cross that got her thinking.

From New York Times

“As a person in recovery, it’s sort of one of the stations of the cross, even nationally in terms of recovery meetings,” the woman said.

From Los Angeles Times