Descrizione
In ancient villages, the bells would ring at regular intervals, filling the air with their reassuring tones that marked the passing of the day. In Gradara, two bells ring out from two very different locations, yet both are equally linked to the town’s history, both sacred and secular.
In the Historical Museum there is a miniature bell, whilst in the Church of St John the Baptist, situated below the Fortress, there is another bell – this time a traditional one – which visitors can ring, allowing them to step into the shoes of an old sexton.
Of ancient origin, once through the 14th-century façade, inside we find a splendid wooden crucifix whose distinctive feature lies in the perspective used to render the face.
Moving from right to left through three carefully marked positions, it seems as though the suffering Christ might initially still utter a few words, before entering a state of fatal agony, and finally reaching an expression of peace in the serene repose of death.
The artist behind this beautiful work may well have sought, by carving it from polished wood, to encapsulate the sacredness and mystery of the Christian Trinity.
