Father Costantino Ruggeri. Sister Luce

To mark the 800th anniversary of the The Pilgrimage of St Francis of Assisithe Brescia Diocesan Museum is hosting a major exhibition dedicated to the life and work of Father Costantino Ruggeri, a Franciscan friar who was able to weave his own artistic and spiritual quest together in an original way with the leading masters of twentieth-century art and architecture. Born in Franciacorta, Father Ruggeri began their journey under the guidance of Mario Sironi and has forged links with leading figures such as Lucio Fontana, Carlo Carrà, Roberto Crippa, Le Corbusier e Gio Ponti.

The centrepiece of the event is the majestic Stained-glass window (1975) in sheets of glass Murano, an extraordinary monochrome work that engages with a rich selection of papers, works on canvas and preparatory sketches from the Frate Sole Foundation by Pavia. The artist’s work is characterised by an innovative technique involving the gluing of individual mouth-blown glass tiles, capable of refracting natural light as a symbol of the divine. The itinerary also includes the famous Guided Spots, the painting The Meteorite II and two liturgical vestments of exquisite craftsmanship, which bear witness to the artist’s unmistakable visual language, characterised by iconic symbols such as the dove and the white sun.