The faces of the crucifixion

On the occasion of the centenary of the birth of Father Costantino Ruggeri (1925-2025),

the city of Pavia - the spiritual, artistic and intellectual home chosen by the Franciscan friar since 1959 - pays tribute to the singular master with the exhibition "Art and Theology. The faces of the crucifixion'.hosted by the 20 September to 23 November 2025 in Pavia Cathedral.

The exhibition intends to remember Ruggeri as an artist and theologian, capable of combining aesthetic research with the depth of spiritual thought. For him, in fact, making art meant making theologyEach work was a meditation on man's origin and destiny, on the relationship between time and eternity, in an endless search for what gives meaning to life.

At the centre of the exhibition are four works dedicated to the theme of the Crucifixion, entitled 'White form. Mystical space'. (nos. 1, 2 and 3) and "Christ drunk with love". They constitute a visual meditation on the Gospel account of Luke (23:39-43): from the drama of Christ's last breath to the question of the meaning of his death, to the transfiguration of the Cross that opens up to the announcement of the Resurrection.

Art, for Father Constantine, thus becomes privileged language to talk about Godand transcend the limits of concept and word. The images, without claiming to encapsulate the ineffable, soar towards the divine and allow a glimpse of its presence, offering a gaze capable of uniting respect, depth and beauty.

Information 

Dates: 20 September - 23 November 2025
Location: Pavia Cathedral
Opening hours: daily 7-12 a.m. / 2-6.30 p.m.
Entrance: free