Pontormo's Visitation is in danger of leaving Carmignano. Citizens do not want

The Visitation, Pontormo ’s masterpiece preserved in the church of Saints Michael and Francis in Carmignano, in the province of Prato, is in danger of being moved, where it has been since it was made, being destined for the Pintadori altar present in the church in the Tuscan town (although the church has undergone major transformations over the centuries, anyway). Executed roughly between 1528 and 1530, shortly after the Deposition, the Visitation is one of the great masterpieces of Mannerism and of all art history. Its location, however, suffers from significant problems of usability: in fact, the church of Saints Michael and Francis suffers from water infiltration, so serious that the building was closed last June, and has not been reopened since. To restore the safety conditions necessary to make the building habitable, an expenditure of as much as 600 thousand euros has been estimated, resources that the parish does not have. Above all, it is an intervention that takes time.

Hence, the need to have to move the work, as desired by the Bishop of Pistoia, Fausto Tardelli. Moreover, the intervention is in addition to several other works that have been carried out on the church, which in recent years has been affected by a landslide, an accident that became national news (a truck, in 2018, knocked down part of the porch following a collision), and some structural work that has required considerable investment (in 2024, in fact, the restoration of the convent and rectory will begin, 1.4 million euros worth of work, financed for about 900,000 euros through the 8 per thousand, but for the remainder the Diocese is still looking for contributions). And to think that, between 2018 and 2019, Pontormo’s Visitation had even been taken on tour to the United States in order to raise funds to restore the church, which was already suffering at the time. Evidently even that initiative was not enough.

The church, in any case, will remain closed, and the fate of the Visitation is uncertain. Perhaps it will be moved to another church (parish priest Elia Matija would like it moved to the nearby church of St. Luke), perhaps to a museum. What is certain is that Carmignano does not want the work to leave town.

"The news of the possible relocation from Carmignano of Pontormo’s precious and majestic work, the Visitation," Mayor Edoardo Prestanti said yesterday, “has caused our entire community a heartbreak.” Imagining the territory and the community "without Pontormo’s Visitation represents a deep wound, a work that is part of our culture and synonymous with Carmignano in the world,“ the first citizen added. ”Moreover, the beauty and history of the masterpiece represents a determining and foundational value of Carmignano’s tourist attractiveness, such that it is the heritage of all Carmignanese and Carmignanesi." What then are the solutions? At the moment there are none yet: the mayor merely let it be known that the municipal administration has asked for a meeting with the bishop, with the aim of helping the parish and the curia, in equal agreement with the superintendence, to find a way out that will ensure the proper custody of the masterpiece and its permanence in our municipal territory, allowing the faithful, citizens and tourists to still be able to admire it. In addition, Prestanti wanted to emphasize that the commitment of his administration “is also directed to provide for actions and projects such as to protect and enhance the work, and that will allow to be able to consider fundraising aimed at the recovery of the natural space within the parish of St. Michael the Archangel in Carmignano.”

The risk that the Visitation will remain hidden for a long time cannot be ruled out: if it is assessed, in fact, that the altarpiece, inside the church although not accessible, nevertheless enjoys safety conditions such as not to jeopardize its conversation, it is not certain that it will not be left where it is. And this is precisely the risk that the people of Carmignano want to avert.

Pontormo's Visitation is in danger of leaving Carmignano. Citizens do not want

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