April 11, 2010. It has now been a year since the earthquake in the Italian city of L’Aquila, which left 308 dead and reduced the place to ruins and rubble. That is why Vatican Museums have organized the exposition “Memory and Hope” to show works of art from the churches of L’Aquila also suffered damage.
Mons. Giovanni D’Ercole
Auxilliary Bishop of L’Aquila (Italy)
“Since the tragedy that struck us on April 6 of last year, there have been many initiatives of solidarity, like the exposition of the Vatican Museums where there are goldsmith objects from churches in the region of Abruzzo, in the center of Italy.”
With this exposition, the Vatican Museums help L’Aquila, a city that doesn’t want to lose the memory nor the hope of reconstructing what the earthquake destroyed.
Antonio Paolucci
Director Vatican Museums
"They have brought the center of the universal Church the testimony of the drama they lived. These objects are not great works of art, painting or sculptures. They are of lesser art, but they are an artistic culture, a tradition, a history, that is why these pieces are so important, because they are the memory of the town.”
The memory of the city of L’Aquila is also kept alive by relics that were kept in churches of the city, like this habit of St. Bernard or the clogs of St. Vincent of L’Aquila.
This exposition also proposes that they adopt some works of art, like these candelabra or relics for their restoration.
An exposition to remember what took place in L’Aquila one year ago. An exposition to reinforce the hope in the reconstruction of the city.
BR/IS
DC-JM
