Stations of the Cross be conducted personally by the faithful, making their way from one station to another and saying the prayers, or by having an officiating celebrant move from cross to cross while the faithful make the responses. The stations themselves must consist of, at the very least, fourteen wooden crosses, pictures alone do not suffice, and they must be blessed by someone with the authority to erect stations. Pope John Paul II led an annual public prayer of the Stations of the Cross at the Roman Colosseum on Good Friday. Originally, the pope himself carried the cross from station to station, but
Portrait of the Artist with his Family Portrait of the Artist with his Family Portrait of the Artist with his Family is a c.1615 painting by Jacob Jordaens of himself and his family. With "Group Portrait", "The Apostles Paul and Barnabas at Lystra" (c.1618) and "The Banquet of Cleopatra", it is one of four works by the artist in the Hermitage Museum. In the 18th century the work was owned by the Duke of Portland before entering Robert Walpole's collection at Houghton Hall. After his death it was sold to the Hermitage Museum in 1779 during the reign of Catherine II of Russia. At that time it