In the sign of Fra' Diego da Careri

National Conference in Badolato (CZ): "Nel segno di Fra' Diego da Careri" - Protagonist of 17th century sculpture. Appointment Sunday 28 May 2023 in the ancient village at the Franciscan Convent of "Santa Maria degli Angeli".

As part of the project "Badolato C.U.O.R.E. di Calabria", on Sunday 28 May, the national conference entitled "Nel segno di Fra' Diego da Careri" (In the sign of Fra' Diego da Careri) will be held in the ancient village of Badolato (CZ). It is designed to narrate the artistic and religious life of the Franciscan friar Fra' Diego da Careri (Giovanni Leonardo Giurato), born in Careri (RC) on 5 April 1603, a lay friar of the Order of Reformed Minors, and certainly one of the greatest protagonists of 17th century wooden sculpture.

The conference is promoted and organised by the Pro Loco Badolato APS, in collaboration with the Associazione Culturale "La Radice" and the A.Op.t. "Riviera e Borghi degli Angeli", under the institutional patronage of the Badolato (CZ) Municipal Administration of Mayor Giuseppe Nicola Parretta and the Region of Calabria, since it has been realised thanks to the regional call for bids "Progetto Strategico per la Valorizzazione dei Borghi della Calabria ed il Potenziamento dell'offerta turistica e culturale" (Strategic Project for the Enhancement of Calabrian Villages and the Enhancement of the Tourist and Cultural Offer) with funds from the Fondo per lo Sviluppo e la Coesione (FSC) 2000-2006.  The event also boasts the institutional support of the Archdiocese of Catanzaro-Squillace and the Archdiocese of Locri-Gerace, the Order of the Minor Franciscan Friars of Calabria, the UNPLI/Unione delle Pro Loco d'Italia della Calabria, the "Elicriso" Cultural Association and the "Arte e Fede" Association.

Starting, therefore, from the Convent of the Angels in Badolato (CZ), the place where Fra' Diego da Careri sculpted the "Madonna of the Musician Angels" and an extraordinary crucifix, and through the restoration of the complex Baroque Machine carried out in 2019/20, it was decided to initiate a systematic study of the artist's works preserved throughout Italy, which includes the study of the archives present in the various convents that hosted the Calabrian friar, diocesan and parish archives, and the analysis of the works he created, in order to arrive at a thorough and conscious knowledge and appreciation of his author. The students and doctoral students in the various disciplines, starting from the significant artistic legacies and the places linked to him, are analytically reconstructing a historical-artistic-religious itinerary - with related monographic and scientific research - that begins in Calabria and develops between Naples, Rome, Dongo and Sicily.

An important day, dedicated to the general public, with free access by citizens, in order to make known a great 17th century sculptor, son of our land, who left an indelible mark of his art in the monasteries in which he resided during his life, from which other important developments will follow.