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Description

The Crypt of the Original Sin, a cultural jewel nestled in the heart of a Benedictine rock cenobium from the Lombard period, tells its fascinating story through a cycle of frescoes dating back to the 8th and 9th centuries. This sacred place, embellished by the mastery of the artist known as the Painter of the Flowers of Matera, becomes a living fresco of the historical characteristics of Benedictine-Beneventan art.

Immersed in a pictorial narrative that spans the centuries, the left wall of the crypt dances with Trinitarian movements, depicting the triarchies of the Apostles, the Virgin Queen, and the Archangels. A visual ritual that transports the visitor to a sacred and spiritual world, where faith unfolds through millennia-old brushstrokes. The back wall, on the other hand, comes alive with an extensive pictorial cycle capturing the fundamental episodes of Creation and the Original Sin, a painting that becomes an open window to ancient legends and myths that still speak to the human soul.

However, time and weathering have challenged the tenacity of this millennia-old fresco, covering it with moss, lichens, and cyanobacteria. Here, the Zétema Foundation comes into play, with its recovery project proving to be an act of love and dedication to a cultural heritage in danger. With the advice of the Central Institute of Restoration and the financial support of the CARIPLO Foundations of Milan, CARISBO of Bologna, and Cassa di Risparmio di Piacenza e Vigevano, the ACRI's Southern Development project takes shape.

The restoration intervention becomes a symphony of skills and passion, a scientific model destined to guide future interventions on the global rock heritage. The rock church, rediscovered in May 1963 by members of the La Scaletta Circle of Matera, becomes the stage for an artistic and cultural rebirth. In 2001, the Zétema Foundation initiates a comprehensive, scientific, and exemplary recovery project for the rock monument, setting in motion a process that goes well beyond the painted surface.

The Crypt undergoes a year of bioclimatic monitoring, scrutinizing environmental conditions and collecting photometric data in different seasons. Geological and geotechnical investigations reveal the secrets of the stones on which the crypt rests, ensuring stability and safety to the cave complex. Isolating the external cover through water drainage and the use of 'coats' of bentonite become the tools to protect the ancient treasure of art and spirituality.

The complete mapping of the degradation of the pictorial cycle, paying attention to the smallest details, is the first step in understanding how to restore the original beauty of the work to the world. The frescoes, suffocated by microbial fabric, become the focus of diagnostic investigations guiding the selection of the most suitable biocides to preserve and protect this unique testimony.

To finance this ambitious rebirth project, the Zétema Foundation turns to institutions such as the Presidency of the Council and Banking Foundations, obtaining the indispensable support to bring the Crypt of the Original Sin back to light. The interventions performed go beyond mere conservation; they are an act of trust in the power of art and culture to connect the past to the present.

Thus, the Crypt of the Original Sin, thanks to a courageous design action and the generosity of those who believe in its intrinsic value, comes back to life in all its splendor. This extraordinary example of restoration is not just a tribute to the past but a beacon that illuminates the path of conservation, restoration, and management of regional and national rock heritage. The Crypt is not just a restored monument but a living witness to human perseverance and the power of art to resist the relentless passage of time.