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CROWDFUNDING AND MEDIEVAL history are coming together in Rome as a group of Franciscan monks take to the internet to drum up funds to restore a dusty cell said to have been used by St Francis of Assisi himself.
Located in the trendy Trastevere district, the church of San Francesco a Ripa looks much like any other of 900 churches in the Eternal City and is better known for a statue by Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
But the monks in charge of the church say the real treasure tucked away on the first floor of the church is a cell that hosted St Francis (1182-1226) — the famous saint of the poor who inspires Pope Francis.
“We need €90,900 to restore the cell of St Francis,” Brother Stefano Tamburo, who is in charge of the church-monastery, said during a visit.
The Kickstarter project runs out on 11 April and has already raised more than a fifth of the sum to clean up the room measuring 17 square metres (183 square feet).
“Few people know of its existence,” Tamburo said.
The monk explained that St Francis stayed in the room at least four times between 1209 and 1223 when he visited Rome to try to meet with pope Innocent III to obtain recognition of his new monastic order.
“The saint slept sitting on the ground, directly in contact with a large stone that is still visible today and which he used as a sort of cushion,” he said, pointing to a stone that is now covered by a grill.
He said there are no written records from that time, but that an “uninterrupted oral tradition from St Francis’s period attests he stayed in the monastery, followed by later references to it in written texts.”
The windowless cell was transformed in the 17th century into a small chapel dedicated to St Francis and is not accessible to the public but was visited by late pope John Paul II to pray — as seen in a photo on the wall.
People who can afford it
The space is badly dilapidated — its walls blackened by candles and oil lamps, its wall paintings fading away and its ceiling in need of extensive restoration.
Following Franciscan tradition, the monastery has appealed for charity to finance the project, refusing to ask the Vatican or the Italian state for funds.
“With the economic crisis, the priority is for spending on social issues. For restoring the cell, we prefer to ask people who can afford it,” said the monk.
The project has already received some 400 individual donations — most of them coming from the United States.
Donors will receive symbolic gifts for their contributions, including T-shirts with the Franciscan slogan Pax et Bonum (Peace and Goodness), wooden pendants and for the most generous a holiday to Rome for the inauguration of the restored cell.
An added bonus could be the presence of Pope Francis.
“Since Pope Francis was elected, people are more interested in the cell,” Tamburo said. “We hope he will come and visit it. I think it will be on his agenda.”
All photos: AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis
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Why not ask the Vatican
The Catholic Church one of the richest organisations in the world
Why pay for it themselves, there’s more than enough idiots out there who’ll fund this.
You’d think with all the knowledge at their disposal they could do this work for themselves . Why do they always need money ?
They are monks not professional restorers!
Well done for the Journal.ie reporting this. I hadn’t heard if it before, but can see its already well on its way ($28,000+) to having the pledges in place to enable the restoration to go ahead.
agree – lovely to see this. Italy has a fascinating medieval heritage.
Assisi is one of Europe’s cultural treasures.
With all the resources the Catholic Church had at its disposal you’d think it would have educated enough of its clerics in the arts of preservation and restoration . You’d think those lazy Franciscans would use their initiative and do the work or at least learn to do the work themselves. Funny I thought Franciscans took a vow of poverty , I wonder how Francis of Assisi ( the one from oral tradition) would feel about all that money being spent restoring his alleged bedroom. Especially when people are starving , dying and homeless in the world . Hypocrisy leaps to mind !
non enim sciunt, molles sacerdos laborem manuum
He (Saint Francis) allegedly stayed there four times in four years. So it was hardly “his bedroom” . Furthermore there is no evidence of him sleeping there other than in “oral tradition”. Still four hundred years later they decide to devote the chapel to him despite the fact that no one could prove he actually stayed there. However the lack of evidence has perturbed the church before nor will it stop the Franciscans capitalising on the new popes popularity to raise a bit of cash (90 thousand no less) to preserve or restore a building that the character st Francis may or may not have slept in four times over four years . No doubt all the homeless and starving people In the world would be just as curios as I am as to whether he only stayed for four nights over that four year period or was it for much longer.
Sent from my iPad
Correction: the lack of evidence has not perturbed the church before….
Beabad, did it not occur to you that people will earn money restoring this cell thus keeping them away from poverty.
Dublinlad you are indeed naive to think that they would take unskilled labour and save them from poverty . No doubt a contract will probably be rewarded to some relative of a senior ranking cleric. How old are you exactly ?
What about raising money for the victims of abuse rather than this nonsense
Rachel, I don’t think St Francis is responsible for what went on in Ireland.
Jesus Christ & holy saint Joseph, would ye not give it a rest!
What about keeping quiet and not betraying your ignorance at every hands’ turn? Our cultural heritage is not nonsense.
Rachel,
This cave does not mean much to me but I would rather see those who care about it most pay for the restoration project. I do not know how old you are but there often comes a point in your life when concepts like culture, heritage, and preservation for the next generation have deep meaning and significance.
Catholic contamination isn’t culture
Yawn. Grow up you fool
Rachel your right on the mark ! all those people who gave you a thumbs down must be really proud of themselves. Clearly they care more for dead legends than living survivors of clerical child rape and abuse.
Who mentioned Ireland ? Don’t you know catholic clerics raped and abused thousands of children all over the world. Don’t you read the news? Are you aware of the United Nations condemnation of the Vatican and it’s wilful protection of clerical child rapist ? Your not to clever or that well informed !
Yes we should preserve culture and heritage. We should also preserve the memories of atrocities committed against humanity lest future generations
forget . Spend the money building a memorial to the thousands of victims of clerical abuse so that the memory of their suffering will never be forgotten to the world .Now that’s something I would happily donate to !
A prime example of what is wrong with this site. Hysterical hyperbole that makes grandiose and totally false claims about what others believe masquerading as informed comment.
You should be totally ashamed of yourself.
Yes Alan you surely are describing yourself . Denying the truth doesn’t make it go away . Hasn’t your church learnt that by now. You can’t simply make the thousand of victims vanish into thin air no matter how hard you pray. The vile history of the Catholic Church is being revealed to more and more people every day. People only have to know that a simple search on the internet concerning Catholic Church sponsored atrocities will reveal far more than just child rape.
Hysterical hyperbole is a statement that is commonly used in the organisation to try and discredit dissenters or those who wish to point out its crimes. Hysterical was also a description commonly used to describe the statements from victims of child rape and clerical abuse in order to discredit their stories. Fortunately many citizens across the globe have woken up to this
tactic.
You see, this is what I mean. It’s not my church. I don’t attend a church. I just think that preserving our history is important. And somehow you an one other lunatic on this thread think that that means we’re all in favour of rape and abuse.
You need to get a grip.
tu es sacerdos in vestimentis ovium .
Now we are lunatics because we question yours and others priorities and preferences to the preservation of a Catholic Church building than justice for its victims of clerical child rape. What was wrong with the comments Rachel or I made . There was nothing exaggerated yet you attempted to denigrate and belittle them. Ignorant , lunatic, hysterical and grow up you fool ! are all expressions you used. Your approach and response expose you for what you truly are and where your loyalties lie .I can only judge you by Your post and my interpretation tells me your lack of empathy for survivors of abuse. You appear to care more about bricks and mortar than real human suffering !
Beabad, give it a rest and eff off!
“Give it a rest and eff off ” Charming! What’s wrong have I hurt the little worms feelings with the truth ?
Lovely to see private donations at work .
Francis of Assisi had a mobile phone ??…oh THAT type of cell
90 grand, I’d do a job on it for 90 quid!
Yeah. Good luck with the rest of your treatment you utter lunatic.
Alan I can now understand your love of bricks and mortar are borne out the fact that you are a cavity block ! Thick on the outside and cold and hollow on the inside ! Kind regards the lunatic .
‘Monks turn to the internet’ – Yes, I’ll bet they do visit their fare share of left-handed websites alright.
Francis of Assisi is as a dirty lie of the Devil……….There is no mention about it in the Bible.
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