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Convent of Santa Maria del Gesù

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Coordinates: 40°45′32″N 16°00′07″E / 40.75889°N 16.00194°E / 40.75889; 16.00194
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Convent of Santa Maria del Gesù vulgo of Sant'Antonio
Map
40°45′32″N 16°00′07″E / 40.75889°N 16.00194°E / 40.75889; 16.00194
LocationOppido Lucano
AddressState Road 19, nr. 35, between Oppido Lucano and Tolve
CountryItaly
Language(s)Italian
History
Founded1482
Founder(s)Francesco Zurolo founder (posthumously – after his death in 1480 and by his will, when he was still alive, he appointed his daughter Caterina Zurolo as executor) of the religious complex, consisting of the convent of Santa Maria del Gesù known as Sant'Antonio ad Oppido Lucano, in 1482
DedicationAnthony of Padua
Other dedicationMary
Architecture
StyleBaroque
Administration
DioceseArchdiocese of Acerenza

The convent of Santa Maria del Gesù vulgo di Sant'Antonio, more simply called the convent of Sant'Antonio. It is a Christian religious complex of Catholic rite, with an adjoining homologous church, currently home to a community of minor friars (Franciscans), initially entitled to Santa Maria del Gesù and then to Sant'Antonio da Padova. It falls within the archdiocese of Acerenza.

The monastery was founded in 1482 on the initiative of Francesco Zurolo (posthumously and by testamentary will) and Caterina Zurolo (his daughter), lords of Oppido Lucano and other lands. The complex is located approximately 1.5 km. from the town centre, along the road that connects Oppido Lucano with Tolve, a hamlet of the city of Oppido where the structure is located.

History[edit]

The first news of the foundation of the convent[edit]

He was the founder of the convent complex – in 1480, who, when he was still alive, made a will and among other things issued a testamentary disposition, appointing his daughter Caterina Zurolo to carry out the construction work of a religious complex in Oppido Lucano after his death consisting of a convent (today known as Santa Maria del Gesù, then of Sant'Antonio) with the adjoining church of Sant'Antonio in Oppido Lucano; the aforementioned works began in 1482 as denoted by the foundation stone: "MCCCCLXXXII | FRANCISCO ZVRVLO | FECIT".[1]

Other events[edit]

The convent was handed over to the Basilicata commissioner before 1484, to replenish the small number of convents in the possession of the Lucanian friars.[2]

In 1593 it became the home of the reformed friars.[3]

It was enlarged during the 17th century the convent quickly became one of the most important of the reform ones in the Lucanian province.[4]

In 1851, a Novitiate under the title of Sacred Retreat of Oppido.

At the beginning of 1900, after the suppression of the religious orders carried out by the government of the young Kingdom of Italy, the convent regained its friars and the municipality of Oppido Lucano granted the building and the surrounding land for perpetual use to the friars minor of Basilicata.[citation needed]

Main entrance portal of the convent of Santa Maria del Gesù, it is possible to see the foundation stone of the convent at the top the door.

Description[edit]

The location of the convent and its internal composition[edit]

It is located about 1.5 km. away. from the town centre, along the road that connects Oppido Lucano with Tolve. At its entrance there is the foundation stone of the convent, still visible and intact. There is an internal church consisting of two naves, with an ancient seventeenth-century organ still functioning. The convent has two cloisters inside and there is also a library with over 5000 volumes.

Artistic works preserved inside[edit]

The convent houses a picture gallery with restored works created between the beginning of the 17th and the end of the 18th century and a library with over 5000 volumes.

The church houses a 17th century organ, with original pipes still functioning. The choir is made of wood and carved, it is fire-dated to 1547 with inlaid panels dating back to the early 1400s,[5] probably coming from the Abbey of Sant'Angelo del Bosco, an abbey destroyed by the earthquake of 1456.[citation needed]

Inside there are a polyptych and a triptych by Antonio Stabile da Potenza, with numerous canvases and panels, dating back to around 1560-70.[6]

In around 1611 Giovanni Todisco created on the north side of the cloister of the convent, where there are three communicating rooms, some tempera murals arranged on opposite lunettes and depicting the story of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Franciscan saints and the birth of Jesus.[7]

In 1980, a bronze door was created by Father Tarcisio Manta, on which some miracles of Saint Anthony and his death are depicted.[citation needed]

Restorations[edit]

In 1973, restoration work was carried out on the convent and some wall paintings by Giovanni Todisco were found.[citation needed]

The new renovations and redevelopment works of the convent[edit]

In February 2023, the mayor of the municipality of Oppido Lucano established an ordinance with which he sanctioned a redevelopment work of the convent structure to make it become a welcoming place for cultural and musical events once the works are completed.[8]

Detail of a fresco created by the artist Giovanni Todisco for the convent of Sant'Antonio in Oppido Lucano (PZ), where it is possible to observe the presence of the noble Baroness Caterina Zurolo, in the act of genuflection before Jesus Christ.

Dedications[edit]

  • In one of the internal rooms of the convent of Santa Maria del Gesù known as Sant'Antonio, in Oppido Lucano, there is a fresco created by the Italian artist Giovanni Todisco, around 1611, depicting the baron and knight Francesco Zurolo with the halberd held in right hand and with a scroll in the left, he wears late medieval plate armor and helmet.
  • There is a particular fresco in which Jesus Christ is represented blessing various characters Jesus Christ is depicted blessing various characters from the early medieval era, at his feet there are two female figures, the lower one in orange and red clothes of an early medieval baroness is represented by Caterina Zurolo.[9][10][11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Gennaro Zurolo (2021). "Il capitano Francesco Zurolo detto Zurlo" [Captain Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo]. L'Assedio di Otranto del 1480 e i suoi prodi capitani: Francesco Zurolo detto Zurlo e Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi [The Siege of Otranto in 1480 and its brave captains: Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo and Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi] (in Italian). The foundation stone of the convent of Santa Maria del Gesù known as Sant'Antonio, in Oppido Lucano, bears the epigraph inside: FRANCISCO ZVRVLO I FECIT, relating to the name of the founder Francesco Zurolo (posthumous), who through a testamentary will, he commissioned his daughter Caterina Zurolo, feudal lady and baroness of Oppido Lucano, to found the vulgo. Nola (NA). pp. 55, 56 and 57.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ Staff of the site. "CONVENTO DI SANT'ANTONIO" [CONVENT OF SAN ANTONIO]. Comune di Oppido Lucano (in Italian). The convent was handed over before 1484 to the Commissariat of Basilicata, to replenish the small number of convents in the possession of the Lucanian friars. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  3. ^ Staff of PATRIMONIO CULTURALE della BASILICATA. "Convento di Sant'Antonio ad Oppido Lucano" [Convent of Sant'Antonio in Oppido Lucano]. PATRIMONIO CULTURALE DELLA BASILICATA-REGIONE BASILICATA (in Italian). Retrieved 19 June 2024. In 1593 it became the home of the Reformed friars. Expanded during the seventeenth century, the convent quickly became one of the most important of the Reformation convents in the Lucanian Province.
  4. ^ Rossella Villani; Redation (24 April 2024). "Il convento di Sant'Antonio a Oppido Lucano" [The convent of Sant'Antonio in Oppido Lucano]. Talenti Lucani - Passaggio a Sud (in Italian). Following the establishment of the Province of the Reform in Basilicata, in 1593 the convent of Oppido, together with those of Tricarico, Potenza, Tito and Acerenza, became the home of the Reformed. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  5. ^ Staff of FAI. "CONVENTO DI "S. MARIA DEL GESÙ", DETTO DI S. ANTONIO OPPIDO LUCANO, POTENZA-CONVENTO DI "S. MARIA DEL GESÙ", DETTO DI S. ANTONIO" [CONVENT OF "S. MARIA DEL GESÙ", KNOWN OF S. ANTONIO OPPIDO LUCANO, POTENZA-CONVENT OF "S. MARIA DEL GESÙ", KNOWN OF S. ANTONIO]. FAI-FONDO PER L'AMBIENTE ITALIANO (in Italian). Of great interest is the wooden choir from 1547, finely carved, with inlaid panels from the early fifteenth century.
  6. ^ Staff di Wayglo Basilicata (25 February 2022). "10 things to do and see in Oppido Lucano" [10 things to do and see in Oppido Lucano]. WAYGLO BASILICATA (in Italian). In the two cloisters and in the adjoining church a triptych and a polyptych by Antonio Stabile are preserved, with numerous canvases and panels.
  7. ^ Staff of Wayglo Basilicata (25 February 2022). "10 cose da fare e vedere a Oppido Lucano" [10 things to do and see in Oppido Lucano]. WAYGLO-BASILICATA (in Italian). 1. Visit the Convent of Sant'Antonio, WAYGLO BASILICATA staff, 25 February 2022. In the two cloisters and in the adjoining church, a triptych and a polyptych by Antonio Stabile are preserved, with numerous canvases and panels.
  8. ^ Emanuela Calabrese (6 February 2023). "Oppido Lucano-lavori per circa 3 milioni di euro" [Oppido Lucano-works for approximately 3 million euros]. Le Cronache76, stampa, tivù, radio, digital. In February 2023, the mayor of the municipality of Oppido Lucano established an ordinance with which he sanctioned a redevelopment work of the convent structure to make it become a welcoming place for cultural and musical events once the works are completed.
  9. ^ Giuseppe Greco (1998). Oltre la memoria. Momenti di vita di della Parrocchia SS. Pietro e Paolo in Oppido Lucano [Beyond memory. Moments of life of the Parish of SS. Peter and Paul in Oppido Lucano] (in Italian). Lavello (PZ). pp. 252 and following.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. ^ Gennaro Zurolo (2021). "Il capitano Francesco Zurolo detto Zurlo" [Captain Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo]. L'Assedio di Otranto del 1480 e i suoi prodi capitani: Francesco Zurolo detto Zurlo e Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi [The Siege of Otranto in 1480 and its brave captains: Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo and Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi] (in Italian). Nola (NA). p. 60.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. ^ Gennaro Zurolo. "Capitolo V, parte I" [Chapter V, part I]. Casata Zurolo. Origini e sviluppo di una famiglia feudale del Meridione d'Italia [Zurolo House. Origins and development of a feudal family from Southern Italy] (in Italian). p. 174. See the pictorial work reported by the author regarding Caterina Zurolo and also with references to Father Francesco Zurolo, in the convent room represented.

Bibliography[edit]

Historical sources[edit]

  • Francesco Giannone (1905). Memorie storiche statuti e consuetudini dell' antica Terra di Oppido in Basilicata [Historical memories, statutes and customs of the ancient Land of Oppido in Basilicata] (in Italian). Fratelli Marsala. pp. 167 and 178.
  • Adriano Prandi (1964). Arte in Basilicata [Art in Basilicata] (in Italian). Milano (MI).{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Luigi Kalby (1977). Iconografia della Madonna tra Riforma e Controriforma in Lucania [Iconography of the Madonna between the Reformation and Counter-Reformation in Lucania] (in Italian). Vol. 1. Matera (MT). p. 555.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Franco Noviello (1977–1978). La pittura lucana nel Quattrocento e nel Cinquecento [Lucanian painting in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries] (in Italian). pp. 62 and 72.
  • Francesco Saverio Lioi (1980). Oppido Lucano tra storia e preistoria (Note archeologiche, storiche e culturali su Oppido Lucano) [Oppido Lucano between history and prehistory (Archaeological, historical and cultural notes on Oppido Lucano)] (in Italian). Potenza (PZ). pp. 81 and 82.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Amerigo Restucci (1981). Itinerari per la Basilicata [Itineraries for Basilicata] (in Italian). Vicenza (VI).{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Francesco Noviello (1985). Storiografia dell'arte pittorica popolare in Lucania e nella Basilicata: cultura figurativa popolare [Historiography of popular pictorial art in Lucania and Basilicata: popular figurative culture] (in Italian). Venosa (PZ): Osanna Edizioni. ISBN 9788881674411.
  • Gianluigi Ciotta (1988). Oppido Lucano, Convento di Sant'Antonio da Padova, in Insediamenti francescani in Basilicata, Ediz. Ministero Beni Culturali e Ambientali [Oppido Lucano, Convent of Sant'Antonio da Padova, in Franciscan settlements in Basilicata, Ed. Ministry of Cultural and Environmental Heritage] (in Italian). pp. 154 and 158.
  • Giuseppe Grieco (1998). Oltre la memoria. Momenti di vita di della Parrocchia SS. Pietro e Paolo in Oppido Lucano [Beyond memory. Moments from the life of the Parish SS. Peter and Paul in Oppido Lucano] (in Italian). Lavello (PZ). pp. 252 and following.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Soprintendenza per il patrimonio storico artistico e demo etnoantropologico per la Basilicata; et al. (Sabino Iusco) (2001). Arte in Basilicata [Art in Basilicata] (in Italian). Anna Grelle Iusco. p. 299. ISBN 9788880164654.
  • Francesca Filippi (29 May 2015). Matera e la Basilicata [Matera and Basilicata] (E-book) (in Italian). Palermo (PA): Lonely Planet. ISBN 9788859208099.
  • Gennaro Zurolo (2021). "Il capitano Francesco Zurolo detto Zurlo" [Captain Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo]. L'Assedio di Otranto del 1480 e i suoi prodi capitani: Francesco Zurolo detto Zurlo e Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi [The Siege of Otranto in 1480 and its brave captains: Francesco Zurolo known as Zurlo and Giovanni Antonio Delli Falconi] (in Italian). Nola (NA). pp. 55, 56 and 57.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Gennaro Zurolo (2024). "Chapter IV and V part I". Casata Zurolo. Origini e sviluppo di una famiglia feudale del Meridione d'Italia [Zurolo House. Origins and development of a feudal family from Southern Italy] (in Italian). pp. 112, 171, 172, 173 and 174.

Archival sources[edit]

  • Francesco Gonzaga (1587). De origine seraphicae religionis franciscanae, eiusq. progressibus, de regularis obseruantie institutione, forma, administrationis, ac legibus, admirabilique eius propagatione (in Italian). Rome (RM).
  • Luca Wadding (1934). Quaracchi (ed.). Annales Minorum. In quibus res omnes trium ordinum a s. Francisco institutorum ponderosius et ex fide asseruntur, et praeclara quaeque monumenta ab obliuione vendicantur. Vol. 22 (3th ed.). Rome (RM). p. 122.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

Secondary sources[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Convento di Santa Maria del Gesù detto di Sant'Antonio (Oppido Lucano).

Externals links[edit]

Officials sites[edit]

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