Lecce, clash between Codacons and the Municipality over the statue of the Saint

The controversy over the copy of the statue of Sant’Oronzo is reignited. Codacons warns the Municipality and requests access to the documents to shed light on the process that led to the creation of the copy of the statue. The citizens’ defense association has also decided to ask the anti-corruption authority (Anac) to monitor the issue and its developments. Codacons asks for clarity on the assignment of the construction task and the costs incurred.

The realization
The statue, more than five meters high and weighing over 1300 kilos, was hoisted onto the Roman column in Piazza Sant’Oronzo on 13 April. The work was created by Fonderia Nolana Del Giudice and cost 200 thousand euros raised with the contribution of citizens, entrepreneurs and the Banca Popolare Pugliese through the Art Bonus tool. According to the consumer protection association, five years of work were too long for an excessively expensive copy that was not even faithful to the original. The alleged discrepancies Codacons had immediately highlighted that the positioning of the right hand and the famous three blessing fingers is different from the original. The association, as explained in the warning letter, asked for transparency to also and above all protect the donors who contributed financially to the creation of the copy of the Saint.

War of opinions
In the formal notice, Codacons also cited the opinion of professor Vittorio Sgarbi. «Sant’Oronzo is a bad reproduction of an original that was hospitalized and was waiting for a copy of the same dimensions, made in such a precise technique as to make it indistinguishable from the original as happens in many places. Conversely, this did not happen. The reproduction is smaller than one meter. It is right that the sculpture is brought back to its original dimensions, it is right that those who attempted a shortcut repair the mistake they made. Nano-techniques and nano-technologies could allow an almost perfect copy with 3D”, commented the art critic. The controversy was addressed by Professor Raffaele Casciaro, professor of Museology and History of Art Criticism and Restoration at the University of Salento, who conducted research and studies on the technique and materials. «The face of the new Sant’Oronzo is simply smoother and more compact, also because instead of being made of many “sewn” plates, it is obtained in a single bronze cast. The differences, also due to the different effect of the light, could not fail to exist. But, beyond this, it is a work of our time, which cannot be identical to one from almost 300 years ago. The new statue is a respectful homage to the old one, it replaces it by faithfully remembering it but does not pretend to be the original”, underlines Casciaro.