The work of “liturgical improvements” carried out in the Basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro have come to a happy conclusion for thousands of devotees and pilgrims from all over the world. In the Lombard city of Pavia, where the reliquary in which the remains of St. Augustine has rested for more than 1,300 years and which the Augustinians are in charge of conserving, the celebrations presided over by the Prior General took place last 12 October.
These works have had as an objective not only to improve the spiritual, cultural and immersive experience that the Basilica invites, but also to make the mortal remains of St. Augustine more accessible and visible’.
‘It was long overdue that our Basilica needed to remodel the sanctuary, the ambo and the choir stalls so that this prestigious place of worship would be more in keeping with the liturgical uses of today and the beauty of this Romanesque Basilica’, Father Alejandro pointed out during the homily.
What did the work consist of? The Prior General tells us
‘The new ambo and, of course, the altar with its seating, all in marble and metal, with references to the Ark of St. Augustine in relief. To this was added the restoration work on the four confessionals, which were lowered to ground level to make access safer for penitents.
A niche was carved out at the back of the altar, so that the urn with the mortal remains of St. Augustine, contained in a silver box from the Lombard period, would be visible to pilgrims and devotees at all times. In this way, the pilgrims will be able to remain in prayer before the urn of the Saint, taking advantage also of the wooden choir stalls, which have also been renovated. The upper chancel is thus once again a place of prayer and recollection, providing a spiritual environment for groups of pilgrims and visitors’.
Once the niche was carved, according to Father General, ‘perhaps the most delicate part of the work in the Basilica began: the relocation of the urn containing the mortal remains of St. Augustine. It was a long and delicate work, because the presence of such a prestigious monument as the Ark of St. Augustine undoubtedly required special care and precaution’.
‘These works, made possible thanks to the donations from the Fondazione Cariplo, the Fondazione Comunitaria, the Italian Province and the City of Pavia and, not least, to the generous contribution of the Augustinian nuns, to whom we all owe our thanks, have undoubtedly favoured a notable influx of pilgrims from various parts of the world in recent months, drawing attention to the city of Pavia, which guards a patrimony that the world envies: the mortal remains of the great Father of the Church’.
A reason for ‘pride’
In the midst of the Augustinian celebration that took place in the Lombard city, Fr. Antonio Baldoni, prior of the Augustinian community until a few weeks ago, affirmed for the newspaper Il Ticino how ‘Pavia will benefit enormously’ from this renovation. ‘We house a great treasure in our basilica: we should all be aware of it and be proud of it’.
As reported by the local media, besides the prior of the community, Father General and the prior provincial of the Province of Italy, together with a multitude of Augustinians who wanted to join in the event, were present together with the president of the civil Province of Pavia, Giovanni Palli, Giancarlo Albini, of the Fondazione Comunitaria, the regional councillors Alessandro Cantoni and Claudio Mangiarotti, the honourable Alessandro Cattaneo, the rector Francesco Svelto and the former rector Fabio Rugge, the vicar general of the diocese of Pavia Luigi Pedrini, the superintendent Giuseppe Stolfi, the head of the diocesan cultural heritage Giancarlo Sozzi, the architect Emanuele Locatelli and the artistic director of the project Angelisa Leonesio.