ROME. For two generations of the faithful it was a “non-place”. Half a century of absence in the geography of faith. Now, 54 years after the Belìce earthquake, the old Mother Church of Montevago reopens for worship, where the first phase of the cataloging and restoration work has just been completed. “Thanks to the restoration work carried out, the old Mother Church is once again a place of worship where you can pray and receive the blessing of the Lord”, says the archpriest Don Giuseppe Coppola.
Inauguration
“I felt a very strong emotion, one of the most exciting moments of my life”, said the mayor, Margherita La Rocca Ruvolo, last night on the sidelines of the inauguration of the old Cathedral among spectacular lights, moments of prayer and theatrical performances on the occasion of the anniversary of the earthquake that devastated the Belìce Valley on the night between 14 and 15 January 1968. The initiative took place after the deposition of a laurel wreath in front of the monument dedicated to the victims of the earthquake and a torchlight procession.
Drama
“Thanks to the restoration work carried out, the old Mother Church is once again a place of worship where you can pray and receive the blessing of the Lord”, said the archpriest Don Giuseppe Coppola. The celebrations in memory of the 54th anniversary of the earthquake in Montevago they end today in Piazza Duomo with greetings from the authorities and with a mass. During the evening, the actor Nicola Puleo staged the drama of the earthquake. The protagonists of the performance also were some children. The cellist Mauro Cottone proposed a song composed for the occasion and performed by the singer Eleonora Tabì. “The reopening of the old Mother Church, the symbol of the town to which we are all linked – underlined the mayor – represents a historic day for Montevago, a re-appropriation of one’s memory, so as not to forget and leave to the younger generations a legacy that lasts forever ».