This is a replica of the cross which hung in the Chapel of San Damiano. In the year 1205, St. Francis of Assisi was praying in the chapel when God spoke to him through the crucifix. God said, “Go, Francis, and repair my Church, which, as you see, has fallen into ruin.” At first, St. Francis misunderstood and proceeded to repair the Chapel of San Damiano. He came to realize over time, that God was asking for a renewal of the Church. St. Francis set out to affect a renewal, among his actions beginning the order of Franciscans. Replicas of this cross are prominently displayed in Franciscan friaries, universities, and the homes of those who follow a Franciscan way of life. The cross has many painted images surrounding the image of the Risen Christ in the middle all related to the Passion and Death of Christ.