Card Author:
Location:
Date:
Carbognano, Convent of the Passionist Fathers
THE HISTORY
As far as the birth of the Convent of the Passionist Fathers of Carbognano is concerned, we have to go back to the beginning of the 20th century, and exactly between the years 1921 and 1922, when a couple of local benefactors, Mr. Sisto Caproli and Mrs. Dionira Orlandi, donated their land so that the house/convent could be built. Their work did not stop with the donation of the land, but saw their heartfelt participation so that the construction of the rooms would also materialize. As economic resources permitted, the couple continued to work on the factory, brick by brick. These works went on for more than 20 years and were concluded first for the house and then for the church in 1941, but the war prevented a proper inauguration. Mr. and Mrs. Caproli in that year donated the church and the convent to the Passionists, but we had to wait until the following year (1942) for the inauguration, exactly on September 29th. In the presence of the king of tenors, Beniamino Gigli, and a large participation of the public, the Passionists’ house of Carbognano was finally opened. The same Beniamino Gigli, whose father-in-law was from Carbognano, personally participated in the expenses for the construction of the road that gave access to the convent and the electrical system, exactly in the same way as he had done in the same year for the structure of Sant’Angelo dei Passionisti in Vetralla. Since its first inauguration, the structure of Carbognano hosted more than 20 Passionists and since then its doors have been open to give hospitality and care to the souls of the faithful who are seeking dialogue to find themselves. Father Antonio Di Carlo, vice parish priest of Carbognano and referent of the structure, remains available for all those who in addition to seeking a dialogue to find themselves, want to rebuild their identity.
THE EXTERIOR
The environments of the convent still allow a quiet stay immersed in peace and nature. The convent is developed in two distinct blocks of three floors on the right and behind the body of the church. The first block is part of the perimeter wall of the front elevation and remains isolated from the second. Here, in addition to the rooms used today as a laundry and some rooms for lodgings, there are the rooms for the shelter of tools and machinery for the management of the garden and the garage. The second block is connected directly to the long side of the church, and with the same form a large “L” shaped structure. Crossed the threshold of the iron gate placed at the entrance, some medieval marble fragments donated over time to the convent, are walled up at the sides of the small corridor, and welcome the visitor. On the right the rooms dedicated to the laundry. A pleasant inner courtyard adorned with flowerbeds and flowers, serves as an antechamber to reach the actual entrance to the convent. Not far away, a main door is placed in line with the gate. Above the access door to the Convent, in the ridge of the arch, is painted the distinctive effigy of the Sacred Heart surmounted by a white cross with the inscription Jesu XPI Passio, the symbol of the congregation of the Passionist Fathers. (F. Giorgi, in La sostanza dell’epimero.1989, pp. 553-556.) On the façade of the building, walled in on the left of the entrance door, is a plaque commemorating the inauguration of the entire complex. Thus it is reported: “To the conjugates SISTO CAPROLI AND DIONIRA ORLANDI/ FUNDERS AND MUNICIPAL BENEFACTORS/ OF THIS COLLEGAL HOUSE/ UNDER THE TITLE OF THE S. FAMILY/ WITH ANNEXED PROPERTY/ THE P.P. PASSIONISTS RECOGNIZED/ ON THE ANNIVERSARY DAY OF THEIR JOURNEY/ 29 SEPTEMBER 1942/ THIS COMMEMORATIVE PLATE/ POSERO”. On the facade of the left body, the one leaning against the church, there is a painting in which the inscription: “MAKE A TREASURE OF EVERY INSTANT” stands out with the symbolic representation associated with the inscription of the sun and the moon placed respectively above and below a fake hourglass time line. From the lower end of the sun three lines ending with an arrow develop to the right until they reach a fluttering cloth painted at the bottom that closes the whole representation. The reference is a passage from the Old Testament (Qohelet 8:15), which the Passionists have assumed for their standard of living, a reference to which the writings of St. Bonaventure are also linked, who, speaking of the Heart of Christ and his immense love for mankind, is always ready to listen to our supplications, which at any moment can be addressed to him. The love of God and of Jesus Christ are expressed through the symbol of the heart and of time. The inscription and the representation of time are therefore iconographically intended to mean the transience of time, and just as the inscription says, every moment of life becomes an important moment to treasure, given by the love of God. It is curious that the quote “time is the essence of life, treasure every moment”, was also included in the film “Gone with the Wind” of 1939. “
THE INTERIOR
The interior of the convent is articulated as follows: As soon as you enter the structure there is a reception room. From here one enters the dining room on the left and the kitchens on the opposite door. On the right of the reception room, a flight of stairs gives access to the upper floors where the lodgings are located.
The structure is adapted according to the needs of the inner changes of the guests.
Address: Via Montagna, 11 – Carbognano (VT). Referent of the structure: Don Antonio Di Carlo Tel. 3398836235.
ESSENTIAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gianfranco Ravasi, Qohelet. The most original and scandalous book of the Old Testament. Saon Paolo Editions 2012.
Foschi Franco, In the Centenary of Beniamino Gigli. Lithotypography of BIEFFE Recanati 1991. http://www.beniaminogigli.it/bibliografia. Renzo Innocenti, Carbognano. Viterbo 2000.
Special thanks to Don Antonio di Carlo for the information for the realization of the text.
