This exhibition is a review of materials and testimony, most of which has been carefully selected from the rich patrimonial archive of the Friars Minor Province of St. Bonaventure in Italy. Hosted by the Aracoeli Cultural Center, the exhibition recounts the vibrant and centuries-old work of the friars in central Italy. This cultural offering is more broadly known as the St. Francis Project.
The exhibition has been installed at the San Francesco a Ripa Church and Friary complex in Rome, where St. Francis of Assisi himself once stayed. The location was deliberately chosen because of its ideal connection with other places in Rome, such as the very centralized Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, on the Capitoline Hill and the quiet but vital San Bonaventura Friary on the Palatine Hill.
The exhibition displays materials from the 13th century to the present day. All of them are centered on the figure of St. Francis. They also trace the path of the development and life of the Order of Friars Minor. The exhibition aims to lead the viewer on an emotional journey, alternating moments of rest and meditation with moments of movement and conquest. This refers to internal conquest, of course, which is aimed at recovering one’s sense of Franciscan identity through a rich program of artistic and literary experiences, as presented by the St. Francis Project and later, by other cultural occasions commemorating the upcoming Franciscan Centenaries.
The exhibition, moreover, is not meant to be a short-lived event. Rather, it is a required first step in reopening the library-museum at San Francesco a Ripa to the public. Besides its extraordinary works of art, the library also houses some thirty thousand ancient and valuable books and preserves the completely restored and almost unknown frescoes of Emanuele da Como.
On display:
Panels and canvases relating to St. Francis. Exhibition of precious objects, codices, engravings, prints, and reliquaries―living and concrete evidence testifying to the history of the Franciscan movement in the Regions of Lazio and Abruzzo, Italy.
For hours and reservations, go to the website:
https://www.centroculturalearacoeli.org/mostra-nel-nome-di-san-francesco/ [Italian language only]
