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Cologne Cathedral: Gero Cross (976)

Gero Cross (976)

The Gero Cross (Gero-Kreuz), in a chapel off the north aisle, is the oldest surviving monumental crucifix north of the Alps. Carved in 976 in a style ahead of its time, the crucifix depicts Jesus neither suffering nor triumphant, but with his eyes closed, dead. It is both a powerful religious image and a wonderful piece of art. With the Magi reliquary and the Madonna of Milan, the Gero Cross is one of the three major pilgrim stops in the cathedral.

Credit: Holly Hayes