Vatican Museums

A year after the earthquake that struck the Abruzzo region this exhibition displays to the public, for the first time, the extraordinary liturgical furnishings and altar cloths that re-emerged from the debris of several of the Aquiline churches and other sites hit by the tragic event. The exhibition has been organized thanks to the brotherly and profitable collaboration between the Archdiocese of Aquila and the Vatican Museums.

On show are more than 200 works of art which bear witness to the artistic liturgical heritage of the Abruzzo region, originating in locations seeped in the religious and cultural tradition of this area. The most significant were found in the Cathedral in Aquila, others in the Collemaggio Abbey, where Pope Celestine V is buried, and still more in the Convent of San Giuliano, since 1415 the first seat of the "Observance Movement" spread thanks to the work of San Bernardino of Siena, and lastly in the Basilica of San Bernardino, where the tomb of this great saint is found.

The liturgical furnishings that need saving are many, as the emblematic title of the exhibition affirms. In fact, the works of art on show bear their "wounds" so as to enable the public to understand the condition of these precious objects of the past, in which union between art and faith is witnessed, and on which the cultural and religious identity of the Abruzzo region is based. The works of art on show are in urgent need of complex restoration. Finding the necessary funds, even if donated in small amounts, will be an important sign of recognition of an outstanding artistic liturgical heritage which belongs to everyone. Each visitor can contribute to the restoration and to the conservation of the various objects, by adopting a work of art to be saved, through a donation effected by transfer to the bank account in the name of the Archdiocese of Aquila: ARCIDIOCESI DELL'AQUILA - IBAN: IT 33 Q 05584 03200 000000061704 - attivo presso Banca Popolare di Milano Ag. 251 - Roma.

The invitation which this unique exhibition makes to each citizen is to participate so as not to forget, by taking on an active role in the recuperation and preservation of the works of art and of the faith found miraculously amongst the debris of the Abruzzo earthquake.