«The exhibition - underlines S.E. Issa Kassissieh, a member of the Palestinian Presidential Committee for the Restoration of the Basilica of the Nativity - values the restored Church of the Nativity in all its artistic beauty and historical significance, and even more in its spiritual message. At a time when the world is struggling against a pandemic, the Nativity still reminds us of the birth and rebirth of Jesus, and with him new life and new hopes sprout. It is with humility, and at the same time with pride, that the Palestinian people present Bethlehem and its church to the world: we firmly believe that through the beauty and power of art, history, culture and faith we can truly promote knowledge. between cultures, strengthen interreligious dialogue, and be an inspiration for the progress of future generations ”.

"Aquileia and Bethlehem - explain Salvo Barrano and Luca Villa, the curators of the Aquileia section - located in two opposite areas of the Mediterranean, appear significantly united by the pre-eminent role in the irradiation and affirmation of Christianity, as suggested by the monumental testimonies that exist there. preserved. Both the sanctuary built on the Grotta di Gesù and the complex of the Adriatic city appear both built in the Constantinian era, at the beginning of the 4th century AD. At the behest of the emperor Constantine himself, a large basilica was erected on the place of the Nativity, a complex that immediately had extreme importance in the Christian world, becoming a destination for pilgrimages from all over the empire, as it also happened for all the others. places of the Holy Land that kept traces of the life and passion of Christ. In the same years in Aquileia the bishop Theodore raised, at the helm of a fervent and wealthy local community, one of the oldest and most important early Christian complexes in the West, where extraordinary testimonies of Christian art are preserved, first of all the largest floor mosaic of the West ".

The exhibition itinerary unfolds into two sections: the Bethlehem section, curated by Taisir Hasbun, Alessandro Fichera and Tommaso Santi, makes use of the excavation and restoration project that lasted ten years as a thread that allows you to mend history through texts, photos and videos of the oldest monument of Christianity to end with a video where the Basilica is literally revealed in its rediscovered beauty. The Aquileia section, curated by archaeologists Salvo Barrano and Luca Villa, leads directly to the origins of Christian art by investigating in depth the relationship between these two cities, separated by over two thousand miles. It focuses on the grandiose mosaics of the Constantinian age in the first plant of the basilica of Aquileia created by Bishop Theodore and continues with the story of the evolution of the Christian basilica over the centuries enriched with multimedia content.

The exhibition can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 to 19 (extraordinary opening on Monday 12 July on the occasion of the Holy Patrons) and the entrance ticket to the exhibition (€ 6) also includes admission to the Basilica of Aquileia, to the crypt and frescoes. and to the crypt excavations to allow visitors to continue their journey to discover the wonders of the Basilica of Aquileia. The catalog enriched with texts by the curators and a rich photographic repertoire and the DVD “The Wonders of Bethlehem” is available at the exhibition bookshop.