Whilst the feast in honour of the instruments of Christ's Passion—the Holy Cross, Lance, Nails, and Crown of Thorns—called "
Arma Christi", originated during the Middle Ages, this commemoration is of more recent origin. It appears for the first time in the Breviary of
Meissen (1517) as a
festum simplex for 15 November. The same Breviary has a feast of the
Holy Face for 15 January and of the
Holy Name for 15 March. These feasts disappeared with the introduction of
Lutheranism. As found in the appendix of the
Roman Breviary, it was initiated by
Paul of the Cross (d. 1775). The Office was composed by
Tommaso Struzzieri,
Bishop of Todi, the associate of St. Paul. This Office and the corresponding feast were approved by
Pope Pius VI (1775–99) for the Discalced Clerics of the Holy Cross and the Passion of Christ (commonly called
Passionists), founded by Paul of the Cross. The feast is celebrated by them as a double of the first class with an octave. At the same time Pius VI approved the other Offices and feasts of the Mysteries of Christ's Passion: the
Feast of the Prayer of Our Lord in the Garden (Tuesday after Septuagesima); the
Feast of the Crown of Thorns (Friday after Ash-Wednesday); the Holy Lance and Nails (Friday after the first Sunday in Lent); and for the following Fridays: the feasts of the Holy Winding Sheet, the Five Wounds, and the Precious Blood of Christ (cf. appendix to the
Roman Breviary). These feasts were, at least in part, adopted by many dioceses and religious orders. Most of them are found in the proprium of Salerno (a. 1798), as also is the feast of the Passion (a double of the first class with an octave). This latter feast was celebrated with an octave in all the dioceses of the former
Kingdom of Naples. On 30 August 1809, the privilege of the feast (double major) was granted to the
Diocese of Leghorn for the Friday before Passion Sunday. In the old
St. Louis Ordo (1824) it was assigned to Friday after Ash-Wednesday, which day it still retains in the
Baltimore Ordo. The seven Offices of the Mysteries of the Passion of Christ were adopted by the City of Rome in 1831 and since then all the dioceses that have the feast of the Passion of Christ in their calendar keep it on the Tuesday after Sexagesima. By permission of
Pope Leo XIII (8 May 1884) the octave in the calendar of the Passionists is privileged and admits only feasts of the first and second class. By a decree of 5 July 1883, the
votive office of the Passion of Christ may be said every Friday which is not taken up by a semi-double or a double Office, except during the period from Passion Sunday to Low Sunday and from 18 December to 13 January. The Office composed by Struzzieri is rich and full of pious sentiment; the hymns, however, are rather modern. ==Notes==