The opportunity arose, almost by chance, with the Malvasia Festival . And with the parish group that decided, like many other associations in Settimo San Pietro, to do their part during the same annual event to restore and promote the town's beautiful assets.
Thus, the parish group decided to showcase the church's treasures, kept for years in the "treasure chest" behind the altar , and to move everything to the nearby oratory. Thus was born the "Exhibition of the Parish's Historical and Artistic Heritage," creating a journey through faith, history, and art. The exhibition features ancient statues, historic banners, liturgical objects, and other precious creations from the parish tradition . It's an extraordinary opportunity to bring the treasure chest back to the light of day.
The parish priest, Don Marco Puddu, and a dozen parishioners immediately got to work, freeing statues and other objects from the distant past from the cardboard boxes , transferring everything to the nearby oratory in Piazza Chiesa, and setting up the two-day exhibition, the one last Saturday and Sunday, which received a solid “ten out of ten” from visitors, who were simply enchanted by such splendor.
The statues of Saint Efisio Martyr and Saint Lucia, dating from the 17th and 15th centuries, are highly prized . The statue of Saint Efisio was restored 15 years ago by the same parish, then led by Monsignor Massimo Noli. The statue of Saint Lucia, dating from the 15th century, was housed until the late 1950s in its own small church, then a rural one (next to the current pharmacy), which was demolished to make way for the new road to Sinnai. Also on display are the statues of Saint Francis of Paola, Saint Mariedda, Saint Anthony the Abbot, and various works from the ancient "Bottega Sarda" school of art. Also on display are very old banners, the canopy, liturgical objects , and other precious creations that recount the traditions of the local church. Also on display are cassocks, the Corpus Christi urn, and donations from families to the church from long ago.
"A wonderful experience," says parish priest Don Marco Puddu. "Among the visitors, many recognized gifts to the church, linked to their own families. For many Settimo residents, it was a wonderful surprise, amidst memories of the past. We're thinking about reviving the exhibition, which has received such acclaim from those who remembered these treasures and those seeing them for the first time. I remember that some of these statues have already been reused on recent religious occasions. The exhibition will be re-presented as soon as possible."
