It is said of St. Edith Stein that she often went to pray before the Christ of GeroThe statue is a unique piece from the 10th century in the Cologne Cathedral, donated by Archbishop Gero. It is the oldest surviving large-scale reproduction of Jesus Christ crucified.
Granda has been in charge of making a replica of such an imposing cross for St. Edith Stein Church, in the United States, carved in cedar wood, polychromed and gilded.
Jesus has his head bowed on his chest; his eyes are closed. Although the top layer of paint on the cross, which was applied in 1904 by W. Batzem, hides numerous details, a radioscopic examination revealed that in the original 10th century version, which is still preserved under several later layers of paint, the eyes were also closed.
Unlike all previous crucifixes, Jesus was not depicted as a conqueror of death, but as a drastically realistic painting of the suffering Christ. Possibly this is a product of a shift in theology, which in the late 10th century placed redemption through the death of Jesus at the center of doctrine, as art historian Dr. Rolf Lauer argues.
