After the hugely successful benefit concert last October to raise funds for the restoration of the oil-on-canvas painting of Saint Francis Receives the Stigmata, hosted by Fra Giuseppe Caro (Franciscan Order) and Caravaggio & Contemporary, whilst presenting the restored terracotta sculpture showing the meeting of Saints Francis and Dominic, embraced by an angel situated in the Alcantara chapel (where Botticelli’s tomb is found), I am delighted to announce that the restoration project has been completed thanks to the careful conservation by the restorer Roberta Lapucci (co-founder of C&C), in collaboration with Anna Floridia, Florence’s superintendent for architectural, landscape, historical and artistic heritage, and Anita Evi Gonzalez.
The painting will be installed in the newly renovated chapel, which has been sponsored by Santandrea Luxury Houses, Gabetti S.p.A. and will be presented to the public on November 1 with a mass for Ognissanti (All Saints). The restoration of this painting, like the statue, has been made possible thanks to a generous donation by Christian Levett.
It’s an important year for the church as many of the frescoes have also been restored, including the restoration of the Vincenzo Meucci scene in the Alcantara chapel and the consolidation of the base frescoes in the Gucci Dini chapel. This saw a collaboration with the Istituto Lorenzo de’ Medici school thanks to president Carla Guarducci, under the direction of Philip Krone Morelli and his team (Ariadne Palla and Maria Giulia Spada).
Next year will hopefully see the continuation of our endeavors to uplift and enlighten the church’s extraordinary cultural heritage, with the restoration of six large canvases, a group of paintings that retell the life of Mary, from the mid to the late 17th century by Giuseppe Pinzani and Rinaldo Botti, located in the Duchi d’Alba chapel. This project will be carried out by Roberta Lapucci, Caravaggio & Contemporary, with the supervision of the superintendent of Florence. The restoration will be performed on site with Roberta Lapucci and students and will involve cleaning the canvasses (probably for the first time in over 100 years!) as well as undertaking necessary structural work including where the canvas is torn, so that these works will be saved and become even more luminous and beautiful.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Mass on November 1 and hope that you enjoy the spiritual and artistic riches it has to offer.
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