Pilgrims of Hope, Exhibition Diocesan Museum of Tortona, Tortona

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Pilgrims of Hope:

Bovo, Contardo, Rocco

From 15 May to 30 November 2025

Diocesan Museum of Tortona

Via del Seminario, 7, Tortona

Closed today: open Thursday at 09:00

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On the occasion of the Jubilee Year 2025, the Diocese of Tortona proposes an important cultural event that combines art, devotion, and historical research: the exhibition Pilgrims of Hope. Bovo, Contardo, Rocco, scheduled from May 15 to November 30, 2025 at the Diocesan Museum of Tortona. The idea was born in response to the desire of the CEI to organize, in this special year of grace, an event in which ecclesiastical assets promote spiritual growth. The initiative is promoted nationally by the Italian Episcopal Conference with the title "In Your Name. Art speaks of Community" and is part of the Ecclesiastical Cultural Heritage Consultation of Piedmont in the interdiocesan project "Community on the Move". The exhibition in Tortona, set up by the Cultural Heritage Office of the Diocese in collaboration with the Commission of Sacred Art and included in the regional calendar "Community on the Move" promoted by the BCE Consultation of Piedmont, is curated by Lelia Rozzo, head of the Diocesan Museum of Tortona, and the scholar Emiliano Stefenetti. The exhibition focuses on three emblematic figures of popular faith: Saint Bovo, Saint Contardo, and Saint Rocco, pilgrim saints united by a deeply rooted cult in the Tortona area. The project presents to the public the richness of their artistic and spiritual representation, highlighting the iconographic and devotional peculiarities that have developed over the centuries. The exhibition is divided into several thematic sections, with over 45 works including paintings, sculptures, engravings, goldsmith works, and liturgical objects, some of which are exhibited to the public for the first time. The works come from the parishes of the Diocese of Tortona and from important Italian ecclesiastical and museum institutions. Among the masterpieces on display are: the Polyptych of Saint Bovo by Manfredino Boxilio (1495), a work known until now only through a black and white photograph, and exhibited to the public for the first time; the Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints Francis, Anthony the Abbot, and Bovo by Guercino (1616-1617); the Saints Geminianus, Homobonus, and Contardo by Francesco Stringa (circa 1699). The section dedicated to Saint Rocco will be the most extensive, documenting the evolution of his iconography from the 16th to the 19th century, while Saint Bovo and Saint Contardo will each have a monographic room, where works from Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy, and Emilia will be exhibited. A specific section will be dedicated to popular devotion, with reliquaries, ex-votos, and liturgical artifacts from the churches in the area.

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	opens - closes	last entry
monday	Closed now
tuesday	Closed now
wednesday	Closed now
thursday	09:00 - 12:00
friday	09:00 - 12:00
saturday	16:00 - 19:00
sunday	16:00 - 19:00

Pilgrims of Hope:

Bovo, Contardo, Rocco

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