The Cross of Cossignano

To celebrate the figure of Saint Francis eight hundred years after his death in Assisi on October 3, 1226, the Episcopal Conference of the Marche (CEM), together with the thirteen dioceses of the Marche and the Marche Region, have agreed on a series of events, all centered on the figure of the Saint, but each approached from a different perspective.

Our diocese is offering a small exhibition that focuses not specifically on the figure of Saint Francis, but rather on Saint Francis through the spiritual message he conveyed to the communities and individuals who followed his path.

The exhibition, which features only three works, but of great religious and historical-artistic significance, opens with a precious staurotheca (from the Franciscan Convent of Cossignano), one of many that Pope Nicholas IV (1227-1292), a Franciscan native of Ascoli Piceno, donated to the convents of the Franciscan communities in his homeland. A great patron of the arts, he commissioned extraordinary works of art, employing the greatest artists of the time, from Cimabue to Giotto, for the decoration of the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi, to which he also donated a precious enameled chalice by the Sienese goldsmith Guccio di Mannaia.

Two paintings that once adorned the altars of the Poor Clare monasteries of Montalto and Ripatransone are then presented, underscoring the value of the female presence in Franciscan spirituality.

The first, whose author is unknown but stylistically datable to the late 16th century, depicts God the Father holding the lifeless body of Jesus in his arms, above whose head flies the dove of the Holy Spirit. It is therefore a representation of the Holy Trinity, one of the cornerstones of Franciscan religiosity, frequently present in the writings of Saint Francis, where numerous and complex expressions refer to the triune God.

The other canvas depicts Pope Innocent IV's visit to the dying Saint Clare on August 9, 1253. On that date, the pope approved the Rule of the Order of Poor Clares she had founded. The nun died two days later; the pontiff attended her funeral and initiated the process of her beatification. The painting therefore represents an important historical event: the birth of the Order of Poor Clares. The work, which has recently been restored to excellent legibility, was painted by Nicola Antonio Monti, one of the leading exponents of 18th-century Ascolan painting.

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The Gleaner of Sapri's Manuscript (Written by the poet Luigi Mercantini)

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Madonna and Child, Saint Martin, Saint Anthony Abbot By: Vittore Crivelli

In the middle of this triptych there is the Madonna with her child in the act of blessing. The Madonna' s face is melancholic as she senses the end of her child will meet. The child holds a goldfinch, an angel with a sword and another one with crossed hands. Behind them a cane holds a cloth with a pomegranate and an apple hanging from it. Respectively they represents the church and the original sin. On the left there is Saint Martin bishop, in one hand he holds a finely bound hardback book with a model of a village with towers and crenelled walls. On the right there is Saint Antonio Abbott bishop who holds a book and a little bell. Above this triptych there is The Piety with tree Cherubini invented on collecting the blood of Christ. On the left there is the Madonna, on the right a praying Saint. At the feet of Christ there is Mary Magdalene. In the background a landscape. .

Christ on the Sepulchre Madonna and Child Enthroned between Saints Sebastian and Cosmas Saint Lucy

Pietro Alamanno (Choetbei, between 1430 and 1440 – Ascoli Piceno, 1498) was an Italian Renaissance painter and sculptor of Austrian origin. Montefortino, Fortunato Duranti Art Gallery Description At the top is the suffering Christ, partially in the tomb, with the instruments of the Passion hanging on a wooden panel against a red background to highlight it. The Madonna is seated on a throne, praying and looking at her Son, who is resting on her knees. On the left is Saint Sebastian, pierced by numerous arrows and looking at the baby Jesus. On the left there is Saint Cosima, wearing a red turban and holding a house in her hands. Saint Lucy is the only saint who looks at the observer; we see her holding a tray with her eyes and the palm of her martyrdom.

The Ripatransone Digital Library

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