ASSISI, Italy, Nov 19 (Reuters) - St Francis of Assisi, who
called the sun "brother" and the moon "sister," might have
referred to it as "uncle technology".
Visitors to the monumental basilica-convent complex where St
Francis is buried in the Umbrian hill town of Assisi will now be
able to enjoy a touch-screen and 3-D experience to help them
better appreciate the art, history and spirituality inside.
A new visitor's centre just across the street allows art
aficionados to view and enlarge any detail of the frescoes on
touch screens, which simultaneously project the image on a wall
screen.
"This should enhance the spiritual and artistic experience
for the visitor," said Father Enzo Fortunato, the spokesman for
the convent and one of the creators of the project.
Indeed, because of the crowds, particularly in summer, a
visitor to the basilica really can't get much quality time with
Giotto's 13th century frescoes depicting the life of St. Francis
and the saint's message of peace and love of nature.
"The message is still the gospel and Francis himself. This
is just the medium," Fortunato said at the weekend inauguration
of the centre.
The darkened rooms offer an educational appetizer ahead of
an artistic and spiritual experience that many people -
Christian or not - find awe-inspiring.
You no longer have to bring your binoculars if you want to
get a close up, life-size view of St Francis' face or any other
detail on one of Giotto's famed frescoes on the walls of the
upper basilica.
For example, last year art restorers discovered the figure
of a devil hidden in the details of the clouds in one of the
Giotto frescoes.
It shows a profile of a figure with a hooked nose, a sly
smile, and dark horns hidden among the clouds in the panel of
the scene depicting the death of St Francis.
The figure is difficult to see from the floor of the basilica
but emerges clearly in close-up photography and is now visible
on the touch screens.
The multi-media rooms also screen short films that offer a
rare peek into the daily lives of the friars who live in the
convent, including the refectory where they eat and the chapels
where they pray.
Visitors can also view hundreds of digitised versions of
historic documents that are too fragile to exhibit.
They include papal bulls concerning the Franciscan order,
the deed dated March 30, 1228 in which Simone di Pucciarello, a
wealthy citizen of Assisi donated the land where the basilica
now stands.
One digital gem is the one of the oldest known versions of
"Canticle of the Sun," also known as the "Praise of the
Creatures", which St Francis is said to have composed during an
illness in 1224, about two years before his death.
The canticle has influenced artists throughout the ages,
from Franz Liszt in the 19th century to punk rocker Patti Smith
in the 21st century.
(Reporting By Philip Pullella, editing by Paul Casciato)