Franciscan Heritage Exhibition at Le Grazie Reveals Missionary Artifacts
The presence in the Convent of Le Grazie of Father Berardo Osti, a Franciscan missionary, provided an opportunity to revisit the Franciscan Museum of Le Grazie, whose initial collection was indeed assembled under the care of the friar.
The exhibition showcases small and large treasures, as many visitors experienced during the presentation of the book «Tatahuasi, the house of the father», in which Renzo Maria Grosselli and Livio Pranzelores reorganized the diaries of the religious.
Nevertheless, as reiterated by the guardian, Father Germano Pellegrini, very few in Trentino are aware of the existence of this heritage, which is instead known externally.
Exhibition Room and Missionary Heritage
The three exhibition rooms are dedicated to the history and ethnography of China and Latin America, specifically Bolivia and Peru. Not by chance, the treasures are housed at Le Grazie, as the Franciscan “province” of Trento, which manages missions in China and Bolivia, decided to concentrate all the artifacts there.
Thus, over time, the first core of the “missionary” exhibition was established 30 years ago, curated by frère Silvio, under the guidance of Father Osti, among whom stands the legendary puma killed by him at the request of the indigenous people, terrified because the feline was threatening a inhabited tree nearby, and now preserved as a taxidermy by his grandson Fabio, a scholar of the Brenta bear.
Both the Amerindian and Chinese sections are rich in material dating—particularly the Amerindian—back to the Megalithic period of the cultures (4th and 3rd century BC), featuring worked stone objects, decorated ceramics, and terracotta.
Characteristics and Material Research
The uniqueness of the piece on display stems from the fact that Amerindian and Inca civilizations rarely date back to the period of Christ, instead being rich in data and archaeological finds from the early Middle Ages.
Of course, only thorough research can assemble the most meaningful pieces. The regret remains of seeing such heritage entirely unknown locally, despite the good will of the friars to make it available to scholars, students, and the public.
The appeal that can be launched is: now that the work at Le Grazie has been completed, is it the time to think about enhancing this heritage?
