The Santo Cristo of Lepanto

Abstract

The cathedral of Saint Eulalia, Barcelona, contains the great crucifix which is believed to have been carried on the poop of Don Juan’s flagship Real at the Battle of Lepanto, 1571. It is one of the few surviving examples of the sacred emblems that the Christian fleet of the Holy League carried into battle with the Ottoman empire. They reminded the commanders and their men of the religious character of the engagement which was being fought to curtail the Ottomans’ expansionist aims. Don Juan himself brought the crucifix to Barcelona on his return to Spain where it was worshipped as representing the significant Christian victory over Islam.

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Filed under: Other (Early Modern) | Mediterranean
Subjects include: Battles & Tactics