L'ABRUZZO: MEMORY AND HOPE

April 25, 2017, Camposto, Province Of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy ...

To mark the first April 2009, the Vatican Museums are hosting an exhibianniversary of the tragic Abruzzo earthquake on the 6 tion of sacred works of art and objects that were rescued from the ruins of some of the splendid old churches and monasteries in the city of L'Aquila and the surrounding towns and villages.

The exhibition, entitled: Memory and Hope, has two main aims. The diocese of L'Aquila hopes to attract sponsorship to help with the restoration of many of the items on view. The Vatican, in fact, has led the way by adopting the magnificent gilded silver and enamel processional crucifix from the Church of Sant'Eusanio in the village of Sant'Eusanio Forconese, a masterpiece by Abruzzo silversmith Amico di Antonio di Notaramico, dated 1405-1408. Secondly, the exhibition is seen as a unique opportunity to promote the religious art and artists of the Abruzzo region, little known outside the regional boundaries.  

 As Antonio Paolucci, Curator of the Vatican Museum, explained during the exhibition pre-view: hose works are specially precious because minor works are often forgotten after natural disasters. All the efforts go towards salvaging and restoring the major famous pieces and  regrettably works like those on show here usually end up locked away in some museum storeroom and are seldom seen again.

Anna Maria Reggiani, head of the Abruzzo Region's heritage and cultural department, recalled the jubilation when the treasures in the ancient Archbishop's Palace next to the Cathedral of San Massimo and San Giorgio were saved, practically miraculously, by a specialized team of firemen, carabinieri and speleologists who risked their lives crawling through the shaky piles of tumbled masonry to bring out hundreds of precious cult objects from the museum collection.

The 200 objects on show come from beautiful old churches and religious buildings that have been badly damaged in the earthquake, including Santa Maria di Collemaggio, the Cathedral of San Massimo and San Giorgio, the Basilica of St. Bernardino, the Church of the Holy Souls and the Monastery of San Giuliano, in L'Aquila alone, as well as from numerous historic churches in the surrounding area.

The exhibition is also a tribute to the profound influence of the Minorite Franciscan brothers in the territory. The rough brown woollen habit belonging to the great Franciscan medieval preacher and evangelist, St. Bernardino da Siena, comes from the Monastery of San Giuliano in L'Aquila, as well as the sandals of the Blessed Vincenzo dell'Aquila and the embossed leather borse (or containers) that were once held the holy books of St. Giovanni di Capestrano, the soldier priest who, at the age of 70, led the crusade against the Turks at the siege of Belgrade in 1456.  A special place of honour is reserved for the silver and gilded wood 19th century reliquary bust of Abruzzos unfortunate Pope, Celestino V, the saintly hermit Pietro Morrone, who was elected in 1294, much against his will, and who died in prison less than six months after he decided to renounce the throne of St. Peter. It comes from the 13th century Basilica of S. Maria di Collemaggio, where Pietro Morrone was crowned pope on the 29th August 1294, as well as the 1507 Madonna and Child in terracotta by Saturnino Gatti, worthy to be considered among the great works of Italian art.

The central room of the exhibition is dominated by another prestigious piece: the 15th century gilded silver and copper processional crucifix of the Church of San Nicola in Monticchio by Nicola da Guardiagrele, Abruzzo's greatest master in this craft. This was saved from the worst fury of the earthquake, explained art restorer Sante Guido, one of the exhibition curators, because at the time of the disaster it was part of a mono graphic exhibition dedicated to Nicola da Guardiagrele in the Abruzzo National Museum in the city's Spanish Fortress, whose massive walls managed to absorb much of the shock.    

Other sacred objects of great artistic value come from small historic towns in the L'Aquila area, such as a precious reliquary casket from Assergi,ciborium and monstrance from Lucoli, the mitre of St. Raniero from Civita di Bagno, embroidered in gold thread, and processional crucifixes from Pianola, S. Panfilo d'Ocre and Coppito. Photographs on the walls demonstrate the post-earthquake state of these churches, some reduced to ruins. They portray, more eloquently than words, the sense of loss and the dimension of the tragedy.

 Margaret Stenhouse

 

The exhibition, entitled: Memory and Hope

runs until the 31st May 2010.

Opening hours:  9am-6 pm

(last entrance at 4 pm).

Sunday closed, except for the last Sunday of each month (9am-2 pm (last entrance 12.30 pm)

Information: www.vatican.va

Posted on 05 Apr 2010 by Editor
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