Pisa, 14 June 2024 – Puracaud Eva Sun Jathe French tourist who in August 2023 was identified by the staff ofOpera of the Primaziale Pisana to engrave the initials of his name on the wall of the seventh ring of the Bell Tower, today he apologizes.
French tourist apologizes for having defaced the Tower (photo Del Punta for Valtriani)
The 19-year-old, who was reported for the crime of damaging the national archaeological, historical and artistic heritage, presented herself on the opening day of the exhibition dedicated to Tower of Pisa publicly reading an apology sheet.
“Miss Puracaud – he said Andrea Maestrellipresident of the Opera della Primaziale Pisana – was evidently aware of the serious fact, so much so that she sent a letter of apology to the mayor of Pisa and to the president ofOpera of the Primaziale Pisa. Today, just as we celebrate the monument, you would like to express your apologies to the local, national and international community and, before giving you the floor, I believe that this represents an act of great dignity and responsibility that we must all welcome as a positive element and we hope that it can serve as a warning to everyone and for this reason I would like to recall Dostoevsky’s message which we have used several times and which seems to me to be the most appropriate at this moment: “Beauty will save the world”.
Eva Puracaud’s message:
“I address you this morning on such an important occasion as today’s celebration. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to intervene personally to confirm that I have understood the importance of the cultural and artistic heritage of each country and to demonstrate to everyone the need to avoid any and all behavior that may damage or disfigure the same. In particular in the case of the Tower of Pisa I well understood that it is even more serious any harmful gestureeven minimal, since, in addition to being one of the most famous monuments in the world, it is also a sacred asset, being the bell tower of the Catholic basilica of the city of Pisa. With my presence I also intend to bear witness with actions and not just in wordsmy respect and my consideration for the protection of the artistic and cultural heritage of your beautiful city, which today I have the opportunity to visit and admire, aware of the value of the artistic assets that surround me”.
