The crossbowmen of Lucca and Sansepolcro increasingly unite in the name of the Holy Face. On Sunday 12 May, the Lucca shooting range will host the third edition of the “Imago Dei”, a competition in honor of the ancient wooden crucifixes preserved in the two cities for centuries. The competition follows the same rules as the Palio dei Rioni between Porta Romana and Porta Fiorentina: 11 shooters from each club compete in direct competitions, and upon reaching the sixth point the victory becomes mathematical. This year, the crossbowmen of the Company of Lucca hope to keep the trophy, created by the Biturgense artist Claudio Boncompagni, for twelve months, having missed the two previous editions.
Yesterday morning, the council room of the Palazzo delle Laudi hosted the presentation of the event, with an introduction by Francesca Mercati, councilor who underlined how the previous discussions on the date of each of the crucifixes (each claimed primacy in terms of antiquity) led to an agreement between the two cities. The new May event in honor of these two important symbols, not only religious, is also strongly supported by the municipality of Lucca, represented by Lorenzo Del Barga, delegate councilor for historical traditions. Stefano Tarducci, president of the Società Balestrieri di Sansepolcro, has proposed an even broader collaboration between the two entities, which also includes religious routes (Via Francigena and Cammini di Francesco), through the development of a special route of the Holy Face from Lucca to Sansepolcro .
“The two icons unite us,” added Giuseppe Dal Poggetto, vice-gonfaloniere of the Balestrieri Company of Lucca, “and for the future of the ‘Imago Dei’ I see only positive consequences. The 12th will be a day of celebration, with parades in the morning and races in the afternoon.” Friends from Lucca and from the Borgo have prepared an artistic candle to be placed next to the Holy Face of Lucca, currently represented by a drape as the work is being restored. “A figure of much greater importance than one might imagine,” said Monsignor Giancarlo Rapaccini, parish priest of the co-cathedral of Sansepolcro, in his speech. “The word itself, ‘Imago Dei’, says it all. The friendship born between the two cities is in a certain sense a miracle of the Holy Face.”
