San Francesco Museum

If a friend supported you at a difficult time, or even saved your life, wouldn’t you want to repay him or her with a gift? Votive offerings ex voto are exactly this: precious gifts offered to God, Our Lady or a saint embodying a believer's gratitude for obtaining a grace. The museum holds a significant collection of these. Among reliquaries and sacred statues, the display cases on the walls to the right and left display ex voto objects dating to the 18th and 19th centuries.  One of the oldest and most evocative forms is undoubtedly the painted one. Small scenes, outlined with the swift yet effective strokes typical of popular art, depict the moment when Providence intervened to save someone in danger. What would have happened, for example, to that man thrown from his carriage if the Virgin had not intervened to protect him from harm? And to that sick woman who pleaded for her recovery from her bed? In these images, the divine presence is perceived as close and real in every moment of daily life.Another very common type of ex voto are small flaming silver hearts. These are the 'PGRs', i.e. 'for grace received'. Indeed, offering one's heart to someone who loves us enough to care for us is always the right thing to do.Finally, this room also hosts a true rarity. One of the reliquaries displayed around the room holds an ancient letter. It contains a few lines penned by none other than Saint Charles Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan from 1565. The missive, possibly dated 21 November 1580, formalises the resignation from ecclesiastical offices of Giovanni Battista Corneo, who is thought to have been an archivist or curial official. Talk about owning an original manuscript!