Restoration and Public Access Plans for Historic S. Giuseppe Church

Restoring the 16th-century church of S. Giuseppe externally located at the entrance of via Segantini, and to meet the numerous requests, keeping it open to the public at least during the summer. To attract visitors, exhibitions or cultural events could be organized, of course in harmony with the place of worship.

In this context, the ancient patronal festival of the neighborhood, forgotten for decades, could be revived. Several people have proposed reopening this historic sacred building, which is strategically located in one of the key points of the city. Among them are the former mayor and local historian Selenio Ioppi and Silvio Malfer, who has always been the «soul» of the nearby districts of Mogno and Caneve.

History and Restoration of the Church

For Ioppi, restoring the church, built in 1570 next to the now-destroyed medieval walls, which once held significant religious importance, is essential. In 1611, it was «protected» by a Count d’Arco: he made it into a vicinia with a permanent priest and endowed it with income.

In 1860, a radical restoration was undertaken due to the threat of collapse, and a few decades later, the vault was frescoed. «In the 1970s, while waiting to restore these paintings, the late Archpriest Don Luigi Flaim did not intervene internally, limiting himself to external painting,» recounts Selenio Ioppi. «The high humidity, mainly due to the dense vegetation below, has nullified the work, and now the situation is the same as before. A second intervention is needed to beautify the most frequented entrance to the city, while to satisfy tourists’ requests, the church should be accessible for visits.»

Promotion Proposals and Volunteers

There is already a volunteer willing to become its custodian. He is Ugo Ischia, who owns an art gallery nearby. To encourage visits to the church, he suggests organizing periodic exhibitions or other cultural events, as is common in many places of worship.

Also, Silvio Malfer has proposed to refresh the exterior facades and to open the church to the public. However, the final decision rests with the dean of Arco.