A figure covered in a blanket, with visible sores on his feet: this is Homeless Jesus, the sculpture by artist Timothy Schmalz recently installed along the Camino de Santiago.
Inspired by the Gospel of Saint Matthew, the work challenges pilgrims to see Christ in the most vulnerable.
The piece was presented and blessed on July 22 at the Pilgrim Reception Office of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, as part of the celebrations for the feast of Saint James the Apostle.
Made of bronze, the sculpture is a visual representation of the passage from Matthew 25:
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me."
It depicts Jesus lying on a public bench, wrapped in a blanket with his face covered. Only the wounds on his feet reveal his true identity.
During the ceremony, the Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, Monsignor Francisco José Prieto Fernández, highlighted the profound message conveyed by the work:
“The pilgrim who arrives in Santiago has traveled a path and has a goal. But this work also reminds us of so many who travel the roads without knowing their destination or what horizon awaits them. Perhaps they have no walls to protect them or a roof to shelter them. That’s why I believe it’s important for us to appreciate the significance of this presence—not only from a place of faith. Faced with this reality, we should all have a sensitivity and a commitment that recognizes and unites us as humanity,” he said.
Schmalz—known for other works such as Angels Unawares and Let the Oppressed Go Free—shared that the intention of the piece is to make visible those who are so often unseen: people who are homeless.
“After creating this work, I never looked at a homeless person the same way again. Now I see Jesus.”
“This bench doesn’t just hold a sculpture; it’s an invitation to sit next to Christ. It’s a spiritual place that calls us to action, that challenges us to our responsibility toward humanity.”
The sculpture, which has been installed in more than 100 cities around the world, now arrives at one of the most symbolic points of the pilgrimage. At the end of the Camino de Santiago, thousands of pilgrims arrive at the Pilgrim’s Office, where they will now encounter this image of a humble, grieving Christ—close to the most forgotten.
The installation was made possible thanks to a donation from Diane and Tim Needles, a couple from Cleveland, Ohio, committed to evangelization and serving those most in need.
Homeless Jesus isn’t the sculptor’s only work on the Camino de Santiago.
The piece Be Welcoming is located in the Diocese of Lugo, Spain, and depicts a pilgrim transforming into an angel.
At the end of the Camino de Santiago, a new bench awaits. One where you don’t just rest—you also pray, contemplate…and make the decision not to turn your back on others.