Courageous people in Illegio

Artistic courage in a mountain village

The Floriani church on the mountain near Illegio gave its name to the committee, which has been curating great exhibitions for 20 years.(Bild: Comitato di San Floriano)

Courage is an important virtue for mastering life. It is no coincidence that we know of courageous saints who should serve as role models - Illegio is dedicating an exhibition to them.

In view of the "dramatic times" characterized by wars, famine and natural disasters, the community of saints "encourage us to look upwards", said Cardinal Christoph Schönborn at last year's All Saints' Day Mass in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. The saints, who have always served as role models for us, were also courageous: Many of them were persecuted and tortured for their faith, but did not abandon their religion until their cruel death. The bravest and most famous was probably Jesus.

Caravaggio: The Capture of Christ (1602). "And the traitor had told them a sign, saying, 'Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he; seize him and lead him away safely'," reads the passage in the Gospel of Mark to which Caravaggio refers in his painting.(Bild: Comitato San Florian)

His capture, still at the moment of Judas' kiss, is shown in a painting by Caravaggio, who became famous not only for his contrasts of light and dark, but also for his way of painting saints, which was considered cheeky during his lifetime: They often have dirty feet. The faces of his figures are often marked by pain or age; the blood splatters, the overall composition is always lively.

This is not the first time that works by this Italian master and other great artists such as Bernini and Kandinsky have been on display in Illegio - or Dieç in Furlan.

Judith with the head of Holofernes (V. Catena)(Bild: Comitato San Florian)

Where, you ask? From Tolmezzo in nearby Friuli, the road climbs for around six kilometers, with the rock rising vertically on the left and falling just as steeply on the right. At the top, stone houses and mills form a charming village, and in the middle of it all, the committee led by Pastor Alessio Geretti presents masterpieces from museums and galleries from all over Europe and beyond, as well as from private collectors.

Il Coraggio - The Courage

"The Courage": The exhibition of 40 masterpieces, ranging from Ancient Greece to the 20th century, can be seen until November 3 (Tue to Sun, from August also on Mondays) in Illegio near Tolmezzo. Reservations for guided tours in German can be made with Claudia Baumgardt on [phone] or by e-mail at [e-mail]. Audio guides in German are also available this year thanks to cell phones and QR codes.

Since 2004, the Comitato di San Floriano has brought around 1,500 works of art to the village of 300 souls, attracting 600,000 visitors.

St. Sebastian by Pietro Perugino - detail. This painting adorns the poster for this year's exhibition in Illegio.(Bild: Comitato San Florian)

The committee got its name from the little church, which can be found one mountain higher than the village and is popular with pilgrims (45 minutes' walk): Pieve di San Floriano was already a place of worship in the 9th century. In 1968, centuries-old statues were stolen from the church - some of which reappeared 50 years later on an antiques market.