Memory of the World Register
Nomination Form

 

 

The idea to candidate one of the most iconic masterpieces of byzantine Rossano came up on January 2007, when Archbishop Santo Marciano sent to the UNESCO a request to candidate the Codex Purpureus to the register memory of the world, the brief request didn't have any answer , nor hope.

On 25 October 2012, during a seminar on the restoration going on on the Codex, in Rome, at the institute for archive and book heritage, Archbishop Marciano lamented the lack of attention given to the candidature of the  Codex.

On 16 April 2013  Dr.Lucio Alberto Savoia, UNESCO ambassador in Rome, summoned in Rome Archbishop Marciano and his co-workers to give hints on the candidature. Immediately the nomination form was written by father Nando Ciliberti, supported by iconographic contents given by Dr.Michele Abastante, the nomination form was translated by Dr. Barbara Caponsacco in English, and in French by Father Andre' Outtara.

On September 2013, a team made up by Archbishop Santo Marciano, his secretary f. Santo Battaglia, f. Nando Ciliberti, director of cultural heritage and f.Pasquale Madeo, went to present the nomination form to the Roman headquarters of the UNESCO.

The committee was truly surprised by the excellent job. The candidature form was given to Mrs. Vincenzina Lo Monaco, new Italian ambassador at the UNESCO in Paris.

In the afternoon, the Archbishop and his team met Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the pontiff culture committee, to thank him for having supported the candidature of the Codex.

 

On the day after, at the Quirinale, the team met professor Louis Godart, two copies of the nomination form were given to him. One for himself, the other one for the President, Giorgio Napolitano.

 

On this occasion came up the idea to exhibit the Codex during the upcoming visit of the Pope to the President, on 14 November 2013.
In the afternoon a copy was given to the
minister of cultural heritage, Massimo Bray.

 

The nomination, along with the letter of Card. Ravasi , the minister M. Bray, and Emma Bonino for foreign affairs was sent to the Parisian headquarters of the UNESCO. Later on, following the precious advice, given by Mrs. Joie Springer, relations of support to the Codex given by foreign scholars , such as Louis Godart, archeologist and philologist, counsellor for cultural heritage of the Italian President and Herbert Kessler, expert in medieval art of the Johns Hopkins University of Baltimore, were finally enclosed to the nomination form .
 

From the very start of his mission in our diocese , Mons Giuseppe Satriano, sensitive lover of the cultural heritage  of Rossano, has followed, with daily attention the nomination, whose positive news was given on 17 June 205 trough the Italian ambassador Vincenzina lo Monaco, communicating that : the nomination form has received a positive consent by the sub-committee, analyzing the inscription to the Memomry of the World register.. the final choice will be made by the internation committee, meeting at the end of September .
 

 

 

On 9 October 2015 the international UNESCO Committee, inscribed the Codex Purpureus Rossanensis in the register memory of the world, in Abu Dabi.

 

 

 

On the 5th December 2015, the Archbishop Mons. Giuseppe Satriano, along with father Nando Ciliberti, director of the office of cultural heritage of the diocese Rossano-Cariati, and father Pino Straface, director of the Diocesan museum of sacred art, met in Paris with the Ambassador Vincenzina Lo Monaco, at the Italian see by the UNESCO .

During the friendly meeting, the Archbishop received the official documentation about the inscription of the Codex Purpureus in the register Memory of the World, but also future perspectives about the Codex were discussed.

The Parisian trip is also a reminder of the precious job done through the years until the unique Byzantine manuscript was recognized world heritage.  

As a sign of gratitude , a minuture copy of a table of the codex was given to Mrs. Lo Monaco, painted by the Romanian  artist Dragos Marginean, It is a  scene representing the ‘gift’ of the eucharistic bread given by Jesus to his disciples.

 


At the moment the Codex in still preserved at the central Institute for archive and book restoration where it was treated to a long and needy restoration work, conducted with modern and scientific criteria.

Its return, in the new Museum of sacred art, whose restoration works are about to end, is scheduled for the first months of 2016, when the new showcase will be ready, made up according to strict rules of climatisation and exposure to the light. It will preserve snd exhibit the precious msnuscript as world heritage.

It is our task to thank those who have truly contributed to the inscription of the Codex to the register menory of the world

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROMOTERS OF THE NOMINATION
S. Ecc.za Mons. Santo Marcianò - former Archbishop of the Rossano - Cariati Diocese
Dott. Lucio Alberto Savoia- Ambassador at the  Roman headquarters of the UNESCO.



REDACTORS OF THE NOMINATION FORM

Don Nando Ciliberti – Director of the Office for cultural heritage of the Diocese Rossano-Cariati and coordinator of the Nomination form
Dr. Barbara Caponsacco:- Translator of the Nomination form in English;
Don Andrè Outtarà: Translator of the Nomination form in French
Michele Abastante: curator of the iconographic section for the nomination form and co-worker of the director for the diocesan cultural office ;
Natalino Scino: translator of count
less relations and important support during the correspondence process (email) from 26.06.2013 to 17.06.2015- English/Italian - Italian/English.
 

SPONSOR OF THE NOMINATION
 

S. E. Mons. Card. Giancarlo Ravasi  - president of the pontifical council for culture, president of the pontifical council for sacred archaeology .
Prof. Louis Godart – Archaeologist and philologist, councilor for cultural heritage of the president of the Italian republic
Herbert Kessler – Art expert ( Middle-ages and western art) professor at the Johns Hopkins University of Baltimore (Usa).
Dott.ssa Maria Cristina Misiti: Director of the central institute for the book and archive heritage;

 

UNESCO

Dott.ssa Joie Springer : Responsible for UNESCO section  Memory of the Word – International headquarters Paris;
M.me Irina Bokova    - Director of the Unesco headquarters - Paris. 
Dott. ssa Vincenzina Lomonaco: Italian ambassador at the UNESCO headquarters -Paris

 

 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnHOJYF5MTg).