Stolen Church Goods on Display in Montevergine

Reliquaries, monstrances, and chalices stolen from places of worship, the provenance of which has not yet been determined, will be on display starting Saturday, July 7, at the Montevergine Abbey Museum in Mercogliano (Avellino). This exhibition, "Faith and Devotion in Forgotten Minor Art. Religious Treasures Recovered by the Carabinieri," is promoted with the support of the Montevergine Abbey and organized in collaboration with the Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection Command and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism. The 130 works, recovered by the Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection Unit in Naples during investigative activities, have not yet been determined. The exhibition—according to a statement—aims to enable public enjoyment of these assets and, at the same time, facilitate their recognition so they can be returned to the Christian communities from which they were stolen. The exhibition will be presented today in the halls of the Montevergine Abbey museum, in the presence of Abbot Riccardo Luca Guariglia, the Public Prosecutor of Isernia, Paolo Albano, and the Commander of the Carabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC), Brigadier General Fabrizio Parrulli. The exhibition will showcase important works relating to the abbey's history, along with a selection of items recovered during the "Start-Up" operation, conducted by the Naples Carabinieri TPC Unit and coordinated by the Isernia Public Prosecutor's Office. The operation was aimed at dismantling a criminal syndicate operating in various Italian regions, dedicated to the theft and illicit trafficking of ecclesiastical cultural property. This operation led to the seizure of numerous religious objects removed from churches and private homes. Some of these artifacts have already been returned to their rightful owners, while the provenance of the 130 liturgical works on display (reliquaries, monstrances, chalices, crucifixes, etc.) has not yet been ascertained. The temporary exhibition will be open to the public from Saturday, July 7, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm (Monday to Friday), while on Saturday and Sunday it will be open during the day until 1:00 pm.