Stations of the Cross to 20th centuries has consisted of 14 pictures or sculptures depicting the following scenes: Although not traditionally part of the Stations, the Resurrection of Jesus is, in very rare instances, included as a fifteenth station. Out of the fourteen traditional Stations of the Cross, only eight have clear scriptural foundation. Stations 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9 are not specifically attested to in the gospels (in particular, no evidence exists of station 6 ever being known before medieval times) and Station 13 (representing Jesus's body being taken down off the cross and laid in the arms of his mother Mary)
Stations of the Resurrection from it, so as to emphasise the positive, hopeful aspect of the Christian story which, though not absent from the Stations of the Cross, is obscured by their emphasis upon suffering. The first major public celebration of this devotion was in 1990, after which it gained greater currency. In December 2001, the Holy See promulgated a "Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy", which commended the "Via Lucis" as follows: A pious exercise called the "Via Lucis" has developed and spread to many regions in recent years. Following the model of the "Via Crucis", the faithful process while meditating on