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St Nicholas News 22 43 From Fr. Gerardo Cioffari, o.p. director of the Centro Studi Nicolaiani St Nicholas News October 16, 2 22 Foglio inviato gratis agli amici di S. Nicola sparsi per tutto nel mondo 22 Da P. Gerardo Cioffari, o.p., direttore del Centro Studi Nicolaiani di Bari (Italy) 1 Dicembre, 2012 [email protected] E’ TORNATA ALL’ANTICO SPLENDORE LA CAPPELLA DI SAN NICOLA LL NELLA BASILICA INFERIORE DI SAN FRANCESCO D’ASSISI 43 AFFRESCHI DI GIOTTO ? Cappella di S. Nicola nella Basilica inferiore di S. Francesco ad Assisi. Dopo quasi tre anni di restauri (dopo il terremoto del 1997), la cappella è tornata all’antico splendore. L’attribuzione a Giotto in persona di alcuni affreschi è tale da rivoluzio- nare la storia dell’arte di quel periodo, per cui ha innescato un vivace dibattito. Il giorno 6 Dicembre 2012, preceduta da alcune conferenze storico- artistiche e religiose, alle ore 12,30 avrà luogo la benedizione e e l’inaugurazione della Cappella da parte di mons. Gualtiero Bassetti, presidente della Conferenza episcopale umbra. 1 6 DICEMBRE 2012 ASSISI SACRO CONVENTO DI S. FRANCESCO INAUGURAZIONE DELLA CAPPELLA DI S. NICOLA NELLA BASILICA INFERIORE La cappella di S. Nicola verrà inaugurata ufficialmente dal ministro dei Beni culturali, Lorenzo Ornaghi. Programma: Ore 11,00: Elvio Lunghi, Docente di storia dell'arte Università per Stranieri di Perugia; Ore 11.40 Conferenza Stampa di Padre Giuseppe Piemontese, Custode del Sacro Convento; Prof. Lorenzo Ornaghi. Ministro per i Beni e le Attività Culturali;‎ Dott. Francesco Scoppola, Direttore Regionale Sovrintendenza Beni Storici e Artistici dell'Umbria; Prof. Sergio Fusetti, Conservatore e capo restauratore della Basilica di san Francesco; Ore 12.30 Benedizione ed Inaugurazione S.E. Mons. Gualtiero Bassetti, Presidente Conferenza Episcopale Umbra. 2 nelle loro chiese. Un particolare esempio in tal senso è il Sacro Monte di Orta. SAN FRANCESCO Questo si eleva sulla penisola su cui si stende il paese di Orta S. Giulio. Il percorso E sacro è dedicato a S. Francesco d’Assisi e la chiesa in cima alla collina è dedicata a S. SAN NICOLA Nicolao. Nella sua ristrutturazione ci si ispirò proprio alla Basilica inferiore di S. Francesco ad Assisi. Nella chiesa è conservata la statua lignea della Pietà (alla S. Francesco, forse il santo più noto quale è legato un miracolo che sarebbe d’Italia, ebbe modo di conoscere S. Nicola avvenuto nel 1538), una Natività del sin dagli anni d’infanzia, per il semplice Procaccini e tele di Cantalupi e Busca. motivo che la chiesa di S. Nicola ad Assisi era la più centrale della città, affacciandosi Particolarmente ispirato è stato il sulla piazza principale (onde il nome S. commento al restauro di Assisi da parte del Nicolò di Piazza). custode del Sacro Convento, padre Giuseppe Piemontese: Romanica e ad un’unica navata, questa "L'attenzione all'arte e alla cultura per i chiesa aveva una cripta rettangolare. frati di Assisi significa percorrere la strada Quest’ultima si è conservata, è a due navate che dal bello ci conduce verso la bellezza di con due pilastri, la volta a botte e le pareti Dio. Gli affreschi della Basilica di San in pietra. E’ addossata ad un muro di epoca Francesco sono la bibbia dei poveri che ha romana. Solitamente è datata al 1087-1093, permesso e permette a tanta gente di ma tale datazione potrebbe derivare leggere la vita di Francesco per riscoprire dall’erronea supposizione che il culto di San la paternità di Dio. A San Nicola di Mira, Nicola si diffuse dopo la traslazione a Bari molto probabilmente il santo più venerato (1087). La chiesa di Assisi potrebbe dunque e popolare della storia del cristianesimo essere ben anteriore considerando che dava medievale e moderno, è dedicata una proprio sulla piazza principale. cappella nella Basilica inferiore di San Francesco in Assisi. La chiesa, nella quale nel 1575 fu fondata la Compagnia della Morte, nel 1832 fu Giotto l’ha mirabilmente affrescata, talmente danneggiata da un terremoto da illustrando le storie, i miracoli e la fede del non riaprire più al culto. Utilizzata come santo vescovo, patrono di bambini, ragazzi caserma dei carabinieri pontifici passò di e ragazze, scolari, farmacisti, mercanti, proprietà al Comune. Nel 1929 la Caserma naviganti, pescatori. A suo tempo si intuì fu abbandonata e la chiesa ristrutturata come lo zelo e la carità del Santo vescovo di come Palazzo delle Poste e Pretura civica. Mira fossero vicini alla testimonianza del Poverello d’Assisi, affiancato nella santità e Questo rapporto di Francesco col nostro nella fama a colui che è venerato in Oriente santo si rafforzò allorché, subito dopo la e in Occidente. conversione e la decisione di accogliere alcuni seguaci, diede a costoro i primi La riapertura al culto della cappella di San appuntamenti proprio nella chiesa di S. Nicola, dopo il delicato intervento di Nicola, al fine di meditare sullo spirito del restauro degli affreschi di Giotto, nell’anno Vangelo. della fede, vuole essere auspicio di quella “fede ecumenica” della Chiesa, che, come Successivamente l’Ordine francescano è ebbe a dire il B. Giovanni Paolo II,” deve stato molto sensibile alla devozione verso nuovamente tornare a respirare con i suoi San Nicola, che venne spesso raffigurato due polmoni: quello orientale e quello occidentale”. 3 Dopo i restauri si è rafforzata la tesi che la mano di Giotto si avverta più qui nella LA CAPPELLA cappella di S. Nicola che non nella Basilica superiore. DI SAN NICOLA NELLA BASILICA DI ASSISI Siamo negli anni che vanno dal 1295 al 1310. Anni nevralgici anche per la Basilica di S. Nicola di Bari, ove nel 1304 Carlo II d’Angiò vara la costituzione fondamentale per il capitolo dei canonici e Giovanni di Taranto esegue gli affreschi (ci è pervenuto solo quello della Crocifissione nella Sergio Fusetti, il principale restauratore, Cappella di S. Martino). ha dichiarato: «Per tanti anni questa Anni fondamentali per la letteratura cappella è stata chiusa. Veniva utilizzata, italiana, con Dante che scrive il De vulgari ma raramente, dai frati come punto di eloquentia (1304), il Convivio (1305) e ascolto. Ora il restauro consentirà di inizia la Divina Commedia (1307). apprezzarne la bellezza e la ricchezza degli In questi anni chiude gli occhi nel Signore affreschi - trovati in cattive condizioni - San Nicola da Tolentino (10 settembre dove si rileva la presenza di oro zecchino, 1305), nato (secondo il biografo coevo perchè si trattava della decorazione Pietro da Monterubbiano) dopo che i suoi pittorica della cappella funeraria di Gian genitori si erano recati in pellegrinaggio a Gaetano Orsini, giovane diacono Bari. prematuramente scomparso, voluta da suo Sino a questi restauri era opinione fratello, il cardinale Napoleone». comune che autore dei principali affreschi fosse Palmerino di Guido, oppure Giottino o Padre Enzo Fortunato, direttore della altro “maestro di San Nicola”. rivista San Francesco Patrono d’Italia e portavoce del Sacro Convento, ha sottolineato che è stato «ridato ai pellegrini e ai cultore dell’arte l’ultimo pezzo di Giotto che mancava dal ’97 … . Siamo certi che anche quest’ultimo restauro aiuterà a far godere del bello e invogliare i pellegrini ad elevare il cuore e la mente verso Dio». La Cappella di San Nicola (quasi sempre chiusa e trascurata) è stata restaurata per ultima dopo il sisma del 1997 ed ha avuto il sostegno (360.000 euro) della Cassa di Risparmio di Perugia e Generali. 4 La Cappella di S. Nicola fu voluta e Da notare che Palmerino di Guido, finanziata da Napoleone Orsini, figlio di supposto autore di tre degli affreschi Rinaldo Orsini (fratello del papa Niccolò principali, è nominato con Giotto in un III). Soltanto tre anni dopo l’ordinazione documento del 1309. sacerdotale (1285) il papa Niccolò IV lo creò Intanto, Napoleone Orsini nel 1306 era cardinale (1288) di S. Adriano al Foro. stato nominato arciprete della Basilica Era legato pontificio a Spoleto ed Vaticana, riuscendo con la sua altalenante Ancona quando intorno al 1296/97 diplomazia, a tenersi ai vertici del potere commissionò la cappella di S. Nicola nella ecclesiastico. Morì nel marzo del 1342. Basilica di Assisi. Essa era concepita per ospitare la tomba del fratello Giovanni Nella storia dell’arte, data la ricchezza Gaetano Orsini, morto nel 1292. A artistica di tutta la Basilica di Assisi, la realizzare quest’ultima fu un artista umbro cappella di S. Nicola è stata messa alquanto che, nello stile di Arnolfo di Cambio, si in ombra. Ed anche nel progetto dei restauri ispirò al monumento funebre di Benedetto dopo il terremoto ha avuto l’ultimo posto, XI nella chiesa di S. Benedetto a Perugia. almeno cronologicamente. Ma al termine dei lavori è balzata all’onore delle cronache internazionali. Controfacciata della cappella di S. Nicola. Cristo al centro in atto di benedire con la destra, mentre con la sinistra regge un libro. Il corteo a sinistra (di chi guarda) è guidato da San Francesco che porta per mano a Cristo il card. Napoleone Orsini (committente dell’intera cappella). Il corteo di destra è guidato da San Nicola che porta per mano il giovane Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, morto prematuramente nel 1292. La cappella infatti è concepita per ospitare il sarcofago di quest’ultimo. 5 Il restauro è stato eseguito da Sergio Il Fusetti, che ha lavorato su circa 300 metri Fusetti, essendo direttrice dei lavori la dott. quadrati di affresco e 80 di materiale Vittoria Garibaldi, soprintendente ai Beni lapideo, è convinto che si tratti di una delle Culturali dell’Umbria. Qualcuno ha notato prime opere della vita artistica di Giotto e l’”estromissione” dell’Istituto Centrale del ha una grande importanza per ricostruire Restauro (ICR), mentre prima questo agiva la cronologia della sua attività e di quella in forma quasi esclusiva dal 1941.
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