Giotto in the Holy Land – Exhibition in Acri

Giotto in the Holy Land is a project launched by ATS pro Terra Sancta with the help of generous contributions from the municipality and province of Padua, who wanted to pay homage to the reproduction of the Scrovegni Chapel that has been ongoing in the Holy Land since 2009.

The exhibition has recently opened in Acri thanks to the support and commitment of Ettore Soranzo and Father Quirico Calella, a Franciscan friar in Acri.

Three volunteers of ATS pro Terra Sancta set up the reproduction during the first weekend of May.  The project was coordinated by Ettore Soranzo, who manages the technical office for the Custody of the Holy Land.

The complex structure was assembled within the spectacular cross compound, a site of incredible medieval charm that was the base for the knights of Saint Giovanni of Acri, also knows as the Hospitaller Knights, during the reign of the Crusaders in the thirteenth century.

This fascinating compound of magnificent halls lies underneath the old city and was the heart of the city during the reign of the Crusaders.

The exhibition consists of a 1.4 scale wooden replica of the Scrovegni Chapel, which was decorated with Giotto’s frescoes between 1303 and 1305.  The reconstruction of the Chapel allows people to admire this masterpiece of fourteenth century Italian painting and to witness Giotto’s Divine Comedy up close.

The works of major Italian artists are an opportunity for many people who live in the Holy Land but who do not follow the Christian traditions to deepen their knowledge of the life of Christ, and to understand his extraordinary influence on both European and world art.