Basilicata Treasures | The secret garden of Southen Italy

BASILICATA TREASURES

The secret garden of Southern Italy

“… and dwelt among us” (Gospel of St. John, 1, 14)

A NATIVITY SCENE FROM BASILICATA TO ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL IN NEW YORK

CHRISTMAS 2015

A NATIVITY SCENE FROM BASILICATA TO ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL IN NEW YORK “It's with great satisfaction and pleasure that we present to New York the Nativity Scene (the traditional Italian “Presepe”) created by the worldwide known artist Francesco Artese. The first Italian artisan/artist to have the privilege of presenting a Presepe in St. Peter's Square, Rome in 2012, during the pontificate of Benedict XVI, as an expression of artistic excellence both of religious and Italian cultural tradition. We present this work of art as a tribute not only to the ItalianAmerican community” - says the President of the Basilicata Region Mr. Marcello Pittella “but also to all immigrants and the entire US community. The Basilicata Region (Southern Italy) and its Tourism Board (APT) are deeply grateful to the Diocese of New York for the warm welcome to this project and thank the Italian Consulate, ENIT and the Italian Cultural Institute of New York for their precious cooperation”.

The creation of this “Presepe” draws inspiration from the cultural landscape of Basilicata, especially from the uniqueness of Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage site and European Capital of Culture 2019. Matera's old town - the “Sassi di Matera” boasts a vast array of rupestrian churches; between the 6th and the 9th Centuries, Italo-Greek and Benedictine monks chose to live in this area, creating a rock-cut settlement permeated with sacrality thanks to more than 150 churches, monasteries and sanctuaries. An astonishing heritage that for its range, quality and value can more than compete with the rupestrian churches of Cappadocia, Turkey - Europe.

Over the years, the landscape of the 'Sassi di Matera' has become the setting for many movies based on biblical stories. Masterpieces such as 'The Gospel According to St. Matthew' by Pier Paolo Pasolini, 'King David' by Bruce Beresford, 'The Passion of the Christ' by Mel Gibson and 'Nativity' (The Nativity Story) by Catherine Hardwicke, 'Christ the Lord' (2014) by Cyrus Nowrasteh and then in 2015 'Ben-Hur' by Timur Bekmambetov (MGM e Paramount Pictures).

THE NATIVITY SCENE BY FRANCESCO ARTESE

In his Nativity Scene Francesco Artese portrays the landscape of Basilicata as part of the universe where the most important event of the history of humanity took place: the birth of the Son of God. This landscape made of houses, churches and sanctuaries, all excavated in the rock, one on top of the other, embraces both the Nativity Scene and the visitor's gaze.

The setting recalls the ancient Lucanian (from Lucania, the ancient name of Basilicata) rural civilization, "the civilization of the hands", based on work in the fields and ageold trades of the frugal and laborious population imbued with a spirit of sacrifice and a deep sense of religion. It is the picture of a world based on essential values such as family, work and solidarity, with a view of the life that is open to Mystery.

The portrayal of the Nativity concentrates on the tenderness that the Madonna has toward her child as she gently caresses his face, while an equally tender St. Joseph watches over his family. These three characters are carved in one block to symbolize the solidity of their family and at the same time the common destiny that awaits them.

This is not an image of royalty but of the profound simplicity and humility that are the expression of the typical rural life.

In this Presepe, the presence of an emigrants' family is particularly important as it brings to mind the many Italians who decided to emigrate to the United States in the last century. It also symbolizes the suffering of living abroad, far from the motherland, and the hopes and dreams of many men and women worldwide who are forced to leave their native countries.

The background of the Nativity is the Crypt of the Original Sin, the oldest example of rupestrian art in Southern Italy. Because of its theological and artistic importance, as well as its mural paintings, it has been defined as the "Sistine Chapel" of rock-hewn churches.

Maestro Artese has reproduced some of the extraordinary frescoes of the Crypt showing the Creation and the Original Sin, as well as those in the three apses with the triarchies of the Apostles, the Archangels and the veneration of the Virgin Mary.

All around this central scene, life and color is given by the many figures representing the humble and friendly Lucanian rural civilization joyfully receiving the Holy Family in the midst of their simple everyday life with their trades, their rites and their ancestral traditions.

The farming world of Southern Italy opens its doors to the Holy Family of Nazareth so that the entire town seems to become a dwelling for them. The scenery is of unique beauty, light effects show the starry night and the sunny day. The visitor is invited to live a day in the enchanted atmosphere of long ago and discover the ongoing Mystery.

SETTING UP THE NATIVITY SCENE The creative work of Maestro Artese is a monumental Presepe set in the landscape of the Sassi of Matera filled with scenes from the everyday life of the local rural civilization that receives, in humility and simplicity, the Mystery of the Nativity.

The artwork is made entirely in polystyrene covered by a layer of resin stucco resembling tufo (volcanic tuff) with elements of metal, wood and terracotta, occupying an area of about 20 m² and reaching a height of 4 m.

There are approximately 70 different characters, each one 27 cm tall, made entirely in ter racotta by Maestro Vincenzo Velardita and dressed by the sisters Nadia and Daniela Balestrieri and Teresa Galasso in starched clothes reproducing the typical costumes of Lucanian tradition - all under the direct supervision of Maestro Artese. The features and postures of the figures were designed by Artese on the basis of paintings and photographs of Lucanian peasant society of the 1930s.

MAESTRO FRANCESCO ARTESE He was born in Basilicata, Southern Italy, where he lives and works.

He received many important awards and made several Presepe-artworks that have been exhibited worldwide including the USA, Bethlehem on behalf of UNESCO, Goyana, Brasil, St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, Rome, for Christmas 2012 as a gift to Pope Benedict XVI, and, for Christmas 2013, in Turku, Finland.

BASILICATA, Southern Italy

A masterpiece waiting to be discovered

The region Basilicata is a timeless land, narrated by travelers and artists, writers and moviemakers who have chanced upon it. A particular mixture of ancient and modern, a kaleidoscope of landscapes and moods; the most suggestive adjective to describe it seems to be “poetic”.

It is an Italian region steeped in history and culture, with a great cultural and historical heritage: archaeological sites, medieval castles, abbeys and villages. The beauty of this land is enhanced by contemporary art works, events and by a well-established food and wine tradition.

A land of inspiration for poets, writers, musicians and film directors, this region still preserves the typical 'light' of Southern Italy. A natural and rich landscape, stretching from the Tyrrhenian Coast of Maratea, considered to be the Pearl of the Mediterranean Sea, up to the Ionic Coast, the cradle of the Greek culture, and through to the Apennines mountains.

The Nativity Scene placed in St.Patrick's Cathedral, New York, is a way to introduce you to the discovery of Basilicata, an unusual and extraordinary land, quite unknown even to many Italians. The “secret garden” of Southern Italy, an “authentic, pure, preserved” land waiting to be discovered.

Matera and the Park of the Rock Churches

Matera is best known for its extensive cave-dwelling districts, the “Sassi�, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. A stunning backdrop of stairways and narrow lanes, cave-houses carved out of the rock, rock churches with beautiful frescoes, and elegant buildings. Matera is the European Capital of Culture 2019 and offers plenty of attractions: you can visit one of its museums or go for a walk in the ancient town, steeped in history and art. It is well worth visiting the Park of the Rupestrian Churches, which consists of more than 150 rock churches, filled with ancient spirituality.

"The Nativity Scene created by the worldwide known artist Francesco Artese is a tribute not only to the Italian-American community, but to all immigrants in the US and the entire US community".

Marcello Pittella President of the Basilicata Region

“It is an honor and a pleasure for me to announce the unveiling of the Nativity Scene - the traditional Italian crèche called presepio - created by the Italian artist Francesco Artese at St. Patrick Cathedral in New York.

I warmly invite you all to visit this presepio, an example of Italian artistic culture as well as a depiction of the Italian region Basilicata”.

Natalia Quintavalle The Consul General of Italy - New York

APT BASILICATA - Regional Tourism Board estero@aptbasilicata.it

www.basilicataturistica.com