Arezzo, Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy

HISTORY OF THE FLAT AND ITS FRESCOES

Location of the flat in the historical centre of Arezzo

This apartment sits on the third and top floor of an ancient three-storey building that faces south-east and is located in the quiet, upper part of Via Mazzini in the heart of Arezzo's historical centre and bordering with the building where Giorgio Vasari was born on 30.07.1511.

The building is not much different to many others in the same road and indeed much of Arezzo, the front door is very modest but is hiding a secret that leaves you with the warm feeling of a successful museum visit. The staircase was clearly renovated in the sixties or seventies but your first clue to an interesting visit is the ornate, listed, wrought iron stair railings on the internal staircase leading to the various levels, where, on the balcony on the top floor bears, in a central position, the bishop's coat of arms of the Diocese of Arezzo, Cortona and Sansepolcro, so much so that it has been subjected to an artistic restriction by the Superintendence of Arezzo.

The palazzo appears to have been owned since before 1700 by the Diocese of Arezzo, which had used it as accommodation for prelates and nuns and the top floor apartment appears to have been the home of Bishop Bernardino Cellesi, capitular vicar of the Diocese of Arezzo, for some years, probably from around 1795 to the first decade of the 19th century. This emerges unequivocally from a Latin inscription frescoed on the upper part of the front wall of the small room located off the entrance to the flat that was certainly a prayer chapel, where it reads:

"DEIPARAM.

VETVSTAE CVLTV AVITV HAEREDITATE PRETIOSAM.

HEIC POSVIT ET ORNAVIT

PREAP BERNARDINVS CELLESIVM VIC. GEN. CAP.

YEAR MDCCCI "

Mother of God

The ancient cult of ancestors with a precious heritage

Here he placed and honoured

The Provost Bernardino Cellesi Vic. (Vicar) Gen. (General) Cap.

Year 1801

The reinforced elegant entrance door takes you into the apartment to a small entrance and you are confronted with a high vaulted prayer chapel. This is the only area with frescoes that has not been meticulously restored, even so it starts the heart beating as the frescoes are clear to see and you immediately know that you are in a special space. The large living room takes you into the heart of the apartment all beautifully restored with high ceilings and reclaimed oak floors and leads you into a bright modern large kitchen/dining room of 25 square meters, with a modern Veneta aluminium/glass kitchen with all modern conveniences and a closable workspace for any unsightly kitchen work and storage.

It is from here that you enter through the hand painted door set in a Pietra Serena frame to the second living room containing the outstanding frescoes described below and best to refer to the photographs of this listing. From here a good sized bedroom also with frescoes with an incorporated dressing room and access to the shower room with vaulted shower and modern fixtures and fittings. This shower room is also accessed with a wide corridor, with washing machine, taking you back to the large living room. The attention to detail is excellent and although the apartment covers 116 square meters its ceilings of up to 3.25 meters give is a light airy and friendly feel. You would be living in your own Art Gallery/Museum.

Please read on

Historical events in Arezzo from 1795 to 1816 linked

to the history of the apartment and its frescoes

For Arezzo, that historical period (1795-1816) was particularly dense with events that left indelible traces that are still felt in the city today in terms of worship and study.

These events, as we will shortly see, have an important connection and link to the flat and to Bishop Bernardino Cellesi who lived there at that time.

The first event dates back to early February 1796, when the city was shaken by numerous earthquake tremors that lasted until 15 February, when some believers claimed to have seen the face of a terracotta Madonna in a city church, which until then had been completely black and dirty, light up with a glow that changed its colour to white. From that moment on, the seismic swarm finally ceased and the Madonna was attributed with the protection of the city from the earthquake. Thus began the cult to what has since been called the Madonna del Conforto, whom the people of Arezzo venerate on 15 February every year and to whom the Bishop of the time, Monsignor Niccolò Marcacci, decided to erect a large chapel dedicated to her on the left side of Arezzo Cathedral. Construction work on the chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Comfort began in 1796 and was completed in 1806. It is a large chapel, in neo-Gothic style, with classical elements, designed by Giuseppe Del Rossano, with a cruciform plan and a cross vault frescoed with works by Luigi Ademollo and Luigi Catani, who painted them between 1799 and 1802 depicting scenes from the Old and New Testament, enriched in the transept and ambulatory with works by Andrea Della Robbia and his school.

The second event was the unexpected death of Bishop Marcacci on 01.01.1799, who was succeeded by Bishop Bernardino Cellesi, who ruled the diocese for two years until the appointment of the new Bishop Agostino Albergotti in 1802.

This event obliged Vicar Mons. Bernardino Cellesi to deal not only with the continuation of work on the chapel of Our Lady of Comfort but also with the other event that involved Arezzo in those two years; namely the revolutionary resistance against the French occupation in Tuscany known as the "Viva Maria" uprising, which saw many volunteers from Arezzo and neighbouring towns form themselves into a spontaneous army that opposed the French with a very effective resistance that obviously lasted for a relatively short time, but still a couple of years, until the reorganisation of the Napoleonic army, which then succeeded in controlling the insurgent Arezzo territories.

Worthy of note is the position taken by Monsignor Bernardino Cellesi in the period of the 'Viva Maria' who, instead of being completely indifferent and neutral, gave support to the uprisings, which could therefore somehow count on the local church, which was, moreover, aligned with the Medici who had done so much for the land and agricultural reorganisation of the Valdichiana and the territories of Arezzo.

History of the frescoes and chapel found inside the flat

The fact that Bishop Cellesi was in charge of the continuation of the work on the Chapel of Our Lady of Comfort unequivocally leads us to consider it highly probable that it was he who chose the painters Luigi Ademollo and Luigi Catani for the frescoes in the dome of the Chapel of Our Lady of Comfort, and that he proposed to them the biblical subjects to be depicted and the conditions and terms of their realisation.

These were not two low-profile painters.

The first, Francesco Maria Antonio Luigi Adamolli known as Luigi Ademollo (Milan 1764 - Florence 1849), was a painter from Lombardy who became famous in Florence for having painted the stage of the Teatro della Pergola and having been commissioned by the grand ducal government to decorate the ground floor of the Pitti Palace, the result of the rational redevelopment of the Salone di Apollo, dating back to the time of Cosimo III and transformed by the Lorraine into the Palatine Chapel.

The second, Luigi Catani, a son of art (Prato 1762 - Florence 1840) oriented his style to the neo-classical taste then in vogue, so much so that he became, especially during the years of the French occupation, the main fresco painter in this style in the Tuscan territory with a light and airy painting, with figures inspired by examples from Rome and France.

This detail, together with the fact that Bishop Cellesi was staying in the flat at that time, is very important as it would explain why there are numerous frescoes inside that flat with depictions of subjects and scenes from the Old and New Testament whose pictorial features are very very similar to the hand and style of the aforementioned painters.

All of this gives rise to the well-founded suspicion that on the occasion of the pictorial finishing work on the vaults of the Chapel of Our Lady of Comfort, these painters also frescoed the walls and some of the ceilings of Bishop Cellesi's flat. This could have been either with the intention of proving and demonstrating their painting and interpretative skills before embarking on the work in the Cathedral; or, as is more likely, it could have been because Bishop Cellesi had asked them, upon completion of the work in the Cathedral, to leave him a memento in homage and gratitude for having chosen them for the decoration of the Chapel of Our Lady of Comfort.

At the moment, no written traces of this have been found. Probably some more careful research in the library of the Bishop's Curia in Arezzo could unravel the mystery and give us documented confirmation.

Description of individual frescoes and their symbolism

But let us now turn to the individual frescoes found in the various walls and ceilings of some of the rooms in the flat.

The little chapel

At the entrance, there is a small room that, due to its conformation, internal subdivision, paintings, friezes and Latin inscriptions, leads one to believe that it was the private chapel of Bishop Bernardino Cellesi.

As things stand, the chapel has not yet been restored, and in several places it is in need of work to close holes and plaster where previous owners had 'vandalised' it in the past by using it as a storage room with wooden shelves resting on wall brackets.

The partitions and frescoes, all of which are clearly visible, require the removal of some of the layers of white paint that the previous owners had applied in the past, and the cleaning and fixing of the colouring of all the frescoes.

Before entering the chapel, a Latin inscription stands above the door:

"Histe locus sanctum est"

Entering on the right, there is a polychrome fresco depicting the Nativity in the foreground, painted in the typical style of 19th-century painters. In the background is a typically Tuscan countryside with a fortified medieval town vaguely resembling Arezzo with an army that seems to be returning there as if returning from a recently concluded military campaign. The scene would suggest the victorious return of Arezzo's troops relative to the period of the 'Viva Maria' uprisings.

On the left-hand side of the entrance is a polychrome fresco depicting the flight from Bethlehem of Joseph and Mary on a donkey with the baby Jesus and an angel showing them the way.

On the level immediately above each of these frescoes is a rectangular panel with a monochrome fresco, both very similar to those found on the ceiling of the fireplace room, with images that take us back to the Old Testament and that appear to be by the same hand or, from the same school of painting, with very strong similarities to Ademollo's style.

Above the arch with capitals that divides the small room and identifies the part dedicated to the altar, stands the Latin inscription supported by two angels, already described above, namely:

"DEIPARAM.

VETVSTAE CVLTV AVITV HAEREDITATE PRETIOSAM.

HEIC POSVIT ET ORNAVIT

PREAP BERNARDINVS CELLESIVM VIC. GEN. CAP.

YEAR MDCCCI "

Just before the small arch there is a domed ceiling with a fresco depicting a Madonna surrounded by cherubs and floral elements. Immediately after the arch on either side of what used to be the altar of the small chapel are two frescoes depicting St Bernard on the right and St Franscesco on the left.

The fireplace hall

All of the paintings in this room underwent a thorough cleaning and restoration by removing traces of old paint and dirt overlaid over the years and subsequent application of an opaque fixative. The damaged spots were repaired and only in one corner of the ceiling and in a strip immediately above the fireplace and above the doors leading to the room were pieces of plaster and their colouring reconstructed.

The Fall of Jericho

Entering the room from the kitchen, one can admire a fresco on the right-hand wall depicting the fall of the walls of Jericho. This is an episode from the Old Testament, which Joshua tells us in Chapter 6. The city of Jericho had an imposing fortified wall and was militarily the pride of the entire region. The name Jericho means, 'the city of the moon' probably a city dedicated to the moon god set on a hill with walls about 25 feet high and 20 feet thick. Soldiers could see for miles from the walls. Jericho was a symbol of military strength and power; it was a city considered impregnable so attempting to conquer it was inconceivable. If it was impossible for men and their tools, it was not so for an invincible God. So it was that, as Joshua relates, God gave them precise instructions as to how they should go about conquering the city. Nothing was to be left to human initiative.

Jehovah said to Joshua: 'You and your warriors must march around the city. March around it once a day for six days. Take the ark of the covenant with you. Seven priests must walk before it and blow the horns.

'On the seventh day you must march around the city seven times. Then sound the horns at length, and everyone shall let out a great war cry. And the walls will collapse!'

Joshua and the people did what Jehovah said. As they marched, all kept silent. No one said a word. Nothing was heard but the sound of horns and the stomping of feet.

On the seventh day, after they had marched around the city seven times, the horns sounded, the warriors shouted and the walls fell down, and Joshua said, 'Kill everyone in the city and burn it. Destroy everything except the objects of silver, gold, copper and iron, which you will give to the treasury of the tent of Jehovah'.

The fresco punctually depicts the moment when the Ark of the Covenant makes its seventh lap around the walls and they begin to collapse.

Lot and his daughters

The fresco is located just to the left of the previous one (Fall of Jericho) exactly above the fireplace, which was reopened after decades in which, it seems around 1950, it was closed and its external structure, which we were told was made of stone or marble capitals and corbels, was also removed. Since the exact style was unknown, the frames were recently made in corten, creating a pleasant contrast between ancient and modern.

The fresco depicts the story of Lot and his daughter, also taken from the Old Testament. The story is taken from the Bible, from the Book of Genesis where it is said that in the cities of the valley, (where the Dead Sea is now), the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah with their sins had filled every measure and God had decided to destroy them with fire. Lot, Abraham's nephew, lived at the gates of the city of Sodom and, judged to be a righteous man, God had sent two angels to him to inform him of the punishment that would befall the city. Lot hosted the two angels who looked like beautiful young men, but the corrupt sodomites demanded that the two strangers be brought out to abuse him. Not to break the sacred hospitality and protect the angels, Lot offered his two daughters in exchange, but the irate sodomites were about to break down the door when the angels intervened, blinding them. After trying to warn the inhabitants of Sodom of the danger, without being believed, at dawn the angels woke Lot to flee with his family, advising them not to turn around and look at the city as they fled. As Lot left with his wife and daughters, the Lord brought down brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed them. Lot's wife, although warned not to turn back, did so anyway and thus became a pillar of salt, while only Lot and his two daughters were saved as they reached the city of Zoar.

But Lot left Zoar because he did not feel comfortable and went to live on the mountain, settling in a cave with his two daughters. The area where they had taken refuge was uninhabited and the two girls began to worry that they could not have children, and in the book of Genesis the fact is described as follows:

"The eldest said to the youngest: Our father is old and there is no one in this land to join us, according to the custom of all the land.

Come, let us make our father drink wine, and then let us lie down with him, so that we may obtain an offspring from our father'.

That night they made their father drink wine, and the eldest went to lie down with him; but he did not notice it, neither when she lay down, nor when she got up." The elder sister, having consummated the incest, urged the younger sister to do likewise.

From these two incests two children were born: "The eldest gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the father of the Moabites who exist to this day. The younger one also bore a son and called him Son of my people. He is the father of the Ammonites who exist to this day."

Continuing the view of the room's frescoes counterclockwise, there is a scene in the back, opposite the window, whose symbolism we have not been able to identify.

On the wall opposite the one depicting the fall of Jericho is a scene that takes up the entire wall, which is believed to represent the feast of Balthasar.

The Feast of Balthazar

The fresco recounts the sumptuous banquet organised by Balthazar - a Babylonian king who lived in the 6th century and son of Nebuchadnezzar - during which a thousand dignitaries drank from large golden vessels stolen by his father from the temple in Jerusalem. During the course of the banquet, a mysterious hand writes incomprehensible words on a wall high up in the hall, which only the prophet Daniel is able to interpret as omens of the imminent end of Balthasar and the division of the Babylonian kingdom between the Medes and the Persians (Daniel 5,1-30)

The depiction of the splendour of the Babylonian court is well represented in the fresco in which space has been given to a discrete narrative force with a scene dense with a large number of figures, a meticulous depiction of furnishings, fabrics and a remarkable depth of field illuminated by a beam of light from above that highlights and invests the king and the diners in the foreground.

Jael and Sisara

The fresco is on the left immediately behind the door leading from the kitchen to the fireplace room and depicts the moment when Jael kills Sisara.

The story of Sisara is described in the fourth chapter of the Book of Judges: "Then Jael took a peg out of the tent, took a hammer in his hand, and approached Sisara without making a sound. He drove the peg into his temple, but so hard that it stuck even in the ground. Sisara passed from sleep to death". - Jdc 4:18-21.

The story is a bit more complex and deserves a fuller mention.

Jabin, ruler of the Canaanites, had been oppressing the children of Israel for twenty years. The prophetess Deborah appealed to Barak to attack Sisarah, the enemy king's young general, who had a fearsome army of 900 war chariots and controlled the territory of Carmel as far as the Lake of Galilee, thus threatening to isolate the northern tribes from the rest of Israel. At Deborah's urging, they stood together in the face of danger. The clash took place at the foot of Mount Tabor, from which the army led by Barac descended. Sisara's army, surprised by a sudden and heavy rain that made chariot passage impassable, was decimated by enemy infantry near the Ghicon stream, and the leader fled on foot, alone, heading for the tent of Eber, a Kenite who lived not far from Kades and whom he considered faithful to his king. He was welcomed by Jael, Eber's wife, and allowed himself to be persuaded by her to rest in her tent. But while the young man slept, Jael, armed with a peg and a hammer, pierced his temple. Then the woman went to Barac and revealed to him that by now Sisara could no longer harm the Jews.

The ceiling of the fireplace hall

In the ceiling, there are several rectangular panels, specifically a polychrome one in the centre depicting a chariot with three steeds of different colours led by a young man. On the sides are various other monochrome rectangular panels very similar to those in the chapel, which seem, as already mentioned, to be attributable to the hand of Ademollo.

The scene in the centre of the ceiling is very reminiscent of the depiction of Apollo, God of the Sun or the young Phaeton.

In the ancient world, as in the Greek or Roman worlds, the Earth was thought to be motionless at the centre of the universe, as opposed to the sun, identified with a god, Apollo, who non-stop crossed the vault of the sky on a chariot drawn by four fiery winged horses.

The Sun/Apollo myth is associated with the tale of Phaeton, narrated by famous poets, such as the Latin Ovid, and illustrated by many artists. The young man, raised by a single mother, Climene, a beautiful Ocean nymph, once he becomes a teenager discovers that his father is none other than Apollo. The boy immediately goes to the Sun god's palace and the latter, who felt guilty for having abandoned him for so many years, promises him that he would grant him any wish he had. Phaeton does not back down and demands to drive the Sun's chariot. Apollo tries in vain to explain to him that no mortal could have made it because it was too dangerous! Phaeton insists and mounts the chariot anyway and spurs the horses that start galloping through the ether. However, he soon realises that he does not have the strength to steer them, loses control of them and soon realises that his father was right. He goes higher and higher, passing by the monstrous signs of the zodiac that terrify him; he descends towards the Earth, but he cannot control his speed and gets too close to it, burning the plains of Africa and its inhabitants (this is how the ancients explained the origin of the Sahara desert and why Africans' skin is black); he rises again, tearing through the sky (and this is the origin of the Milky Way). In short, Phaeton had become a real danger to the survival of the entire Universe! Jupiter, the most important of the gods, was forced to intervene and hurled one of his thunderbolts at the unconscious boy, who plunged into the river Eridano, the ancient name for the Po. A terrible end that, however, becomes an example to demonstrate the dangers of a presumptuous attitude. Myths, in fact, contain within them teachings on how to behave in order to be better, and that of Phaeton makes us reflect on the importance of knowing how to listen to and follow the advice of those with more experience, without overestimating one's own abilities. A timeless invitation to prudence.

The bedroom

All the walls of the bedroom are decorated with panels inside which are depicted amphorae of various shapes, while in the two longest walls of the room there are two frescoed images in the centre representing hope and charity.

Restoration work

The cleaning and restoration of the frescoes in the entrance hall, fireplace room and bedroom were carried out from March to September 2021 by Francesca Lentini, Sandro Ceccolini and Tommaso Sensini.