Jesus Falls for the Third Time

Abstract

These twenty-two sculptures were made in 1702 and 1703 by Giuseppe Rusnati. They illustrate the ninth Station of the Via Crucis, in which Jesus falls for the third time while carrying the cross. As in Domodossola's fourth chapel, the figures here are arranged in two groups. Jesus and his torturers are clustered at the center of the scene and surrounded at a distance by a ring of onlookers that line the curved wall of the chapel's interior. The separation between the two groups emphasizes Christ's isolation at this point in the narrative. This is the only chapel at Domodossola which does not depict anyone from Christ's retinue. Furthermore, grouping the composition in this way suggests a pause in the devotional narrative, allowing the pilgrim to focus first on the central group and then on the scene at large. Early-modern handbooks on religious meditations often advised the reader to pause whenever they felt a sweet feeling of devotion. This chapel was built during the first phase of construction at Domodossola, between 1664 and 1666. The addition of Chapel Eight in 1773 helped complete the series of the Stations of the Cross but seems to have disrupted the linear sequence of the devotional path. Today, pilgrims must walk past this chapel and then return to it in order to visit the scenes in order. The building is octagonal and surrounded on all sides by an octagonal porch, despite the fact that the scene inside can only be viewed from three windows at the front of the chapel. This plan reflects the architectural influence of the circular chapels with porches that had already been built at the Sacri Monti of Crea (Chapel Twenty-Three), Orta (Chapels Eight and Fifteen), and Varese (Chapel Four). / The Sacro Monte, or Monte Calvario, of Domodossola was founded by two friars from the local Capuchin convent, Gioacchino da Cassano and Andrea da Rho. In 1656, they planted a large cross atop the ruins of the medieval fortress that had previously occupied the site and began building the sanctuary on top of the hill in July of the following year. This was the first Sacro Monte dedicated to the Via Crucis, or the Stations of the Cross. Early construction efforts were led and funded by Giovanni Matteo Capis (1617 - 1681) a wealthy merchant who had previously served as the mayor of Domodossola, the director of its hospital, and a leader in the local inquisition.