Urgent appeal to save 18th-century frescoed ceiling in Molise convent

Professor Mino Gabriele of the University of Udine has launched an urgent appeal to raise funds for the restoration of the fourth painted ceiling in the Franciscan Convent of San Francesco in Agnone, Molise. The ceiling, decorated in the 18th century by Neapolitan workshops, is severely deteriorated and risks total loss. Gabriele, an expert in iconography and iconology, has studied the convent's ceiling paintings and warns that without immediate intervention, an exceptional historical-artistic monument will disappear. The ceiling is part of a series that testifies to Agnone's noble tradition in goldsmithing, copperwork, and bell casting. The appeal has been sent to the Soprintendenza del Molise and the mayor of Agnone, Daniele Saia, and has gathered support from about fifty cultural figures from Italy, Germany, France, England, the United States, the Antilles, and Poland. The convent currently houses the municipal library. Gabriele emphasizes the need for awareness that failure to act will result in the loss of this unique heritage.