The A. discusses the historical background of the installation of a monumental wooden crucifix (the «Volto Santo») in the cathedral of San Martino at Lucca in 1484. Specific connections to liturgical celebrations of baptism, the Eucharist and the Holy Sepulchre are discussed in detail. More speculative discussion addresses possible links to the rising popularity of pilgrimage in the late Middle Ages. (www.mirabileweb.it)