A couple of years ahead of 2026, the year of the eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi, a special committee for the celebrations was formed in Sansepolcro whose president is Monsignor Giancarlo Rapaccini, parish priest of the Biturgense co-cathedral, supported by Giovanni Tricca, president of the association “The Paths of Francis in Tuscany”, even if it is something separate from the Paths themselves.
Yesterday the presentation in the bishopric: the councilors Francesca Mercati from Sansepolcro and Ilaria Lorenzini from Anghiari were also there. Why this committee? Because simply the figure of Saint Francis is inextricably linked to Sansepolcro and the Tiber Valley. “The“ Seraphic ”was here, he held a sermon in front of the cathedral – recalls Monsignor Rapaccini – and therefore we believed we had to enhance his life and his presence in our territory. We decided to involve all the cultural and social associations to launch the program that we present today and create an event that can enter the hearts of all those who live in Sansepolcro, even if that of Saint Francis has always been a loved figure”.
There are several tangible testimonies: the hermitage of Montecasale, the church named after him (which is the oldest of all the Franciscan ones), the small church of San Lazzaro and then in Anghiari the convent of the Cross and the relic of the habit that donated to Count Alberto in the castle of Montauto. Not forgetting the Casella hermitage in Caprese Michelangelo and the two crosses, one in Anghiari and the other in Montecasale, which “look” at each other despite being placed 12 kilometers away as the crow flies.
A tourist-religious reading of this anniversary, as confirmed by Tricca’s words: “I believe that important results can be achieved – he said – and I hope that everyone’s dream, that of recovering the cloister of the church of San Francesco, can become reality , usable but still in the same conditions for decades, so that it becomes the hub of the Cammini and the extraordinary reference point in the center of the city. Alongside this, there will be interventions on training and work (teaching that profession that “makes you free”) and on the economy, because the Franciscans themselves invented the pawnshops, forerunners of today’s banks”.
Another objective is to be able to act on Sassetta’s polyptych, which was preserved in the church of San Francesco and which today is partly owned by Harvard University. “It would be nice if we could reconstruct this image of Sassetta – concluded Tricca – where, moreover, there are elements dedicated to Blessed Ranieri which are found in the Louvre. Another work scattered around the world that deserves attention, because it is one of the most beautiful of the Italian Renaissance”.
