A NEW EXPRESSION OF PATHOS AND THE PARADIGM OF SALVATION. THE MIRACULOUS CRUCIFIX IN ST. VITUS CATHEDRAL IN RIJEKA

Sa？etak The authors discuss a wooden crucifix from the St. Vitus Cathedral in Rijeka. The crucifix belongs to a group of crucifixes representing the suffering Christ (Christus patiens) – an iconographic interpretation of the Crucifixion that had developed within the 13th century art in central and northern Europe, from where it spread to the whole Europe at the end of the 13th and in the 14th century. Its appellative ‘miraculous’ is associated with a legend which connects it with the so-called bleeding crucifixes (or ‘images’) that had had a significant impact on the communities of faithful throughout the Christian world. The text introduces new insights on the development of this iconographic theme, offers a critical reading of historical documents and secondary sources, and raises questions about the importance of the crucifix within the urban community, as well as its value as a historical source for unveiling the life circumstances in medieval Rijeka