Chasuble from the Dark Purple “Arma Christi” Set of Pontifical Vestments

Probably intended to commemorate the Jubilee Year of 1600, this chasuble and other liturgical vestments were sent from the Commissariat of the Holy Land in Lombardy, in Milan, to the Holy Sepulcher. The chasuble is decorated with the Arma Christi (Weapons of Christ), instruments and objects that were associated with the Passion, among them, the crown of thorns, a ladder with a lance and a sponge, a column, and whips, each representing a different episode. They are interspersed with the symbol of Jerusalem, the five crosses. The dark color of this chasuble indicates that it would have been used for ceremonies on Good Friday, the day commemorating the death of Christ on the Cross.

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