After two centuries, we have finally returned to celebrate Christmas at San Francesco del Prato, an ancient church of our Order in Parma, Italy. After serving as a prison for almost two centuries, the church was restored and returned to the city and the Conventual Franciscans as a place of worship.

Three months ago, on Sunday, October 3, 2021, the anniversary of St. Francis’ meeting with “Sister Death,” the Most Reverend Enrico SOLMI, Bishop of Parma, reconsecrated the ancient Church of San Francesco del Prato to God in the name of the Seraphic Father.

Origins
This church has a long and complex history. The Minors probably established a presence in Parma while St. Francis was still alive. Since the time of Brother Elias of Cortona, the friary in Parma has been located in the large “prato regio” [royal meadow] or “di Sant’Ercolano” [meadow of St. Herculanus], outside the city walls, which were built in late antiquity. The famous Chronicle of Friar Salimbene di ADAM (1221-1288), reports that there was a strong connection between Parma and the early Franciscans. The city proved to be receptive to the novitas evangelica and gave many vocations to the Ordo Minorum. One of these was the sixth Minister General of the Order, Blessed John of Parma (1208-1289). On the other hand, the people of Parma received a lot, as well. The fraternity and the preaching of the early friars had an impact on a religious, cultural and social level: for example, there was the Magna Devocio dell’Alleluja, [a revival movement called the “Alleluja”] preached by Friar Gerard BOCCABADATI of Modena (ca. 1200-1257), which fostered spiritual and political peace.

Development
We do not know for sure when the great Church of San Francesco del Prato was built, but the solid alliance between the Franciscans and the people of Parma was certainly involved in launching such a great construction project. This large Gothic church is over 70 meters [230 feet] long and is almost the size of the nearby Romanesque cathedral. Its basilica layout, without a transept, rests only on two rows of four columns. The thinness of the walls and the breadth of the Gothic arches gives the three naves a sense of great airiness. Like many mendicant churches, this church was conceived and designed especially for preaching; it almost seems like a single hall.
The simplicity of its lines is rendered by the very basicness of its construction materials: the brick structure is softened with simple white plaster and highlighted by arches lined with red brick. Oak trusses span the naves while the three apses to the east are covered by umbrella vaults. Everything suggests that the primitive structure was built by closely following the instructions given at the General Chapter of Narbonne in 1260, on how to construct our churches.
The friary in Parma became one of the most important in northern Italy. Since the 15th century, it had been the Studium Generale of the Order. It remained within the Conventual tradition even after the division of 1517 and the arrival of the Observant, Discalced and Capuchin reforms in the city. This Conventual structure continued to expand through the 17th and 18th centuries.

Suppression
The friary was definitively lost in 1810. The Napoleonic suppression laws ultimately led to the expulsion of the friars and the forfeiture of their possessions. The friary was converted into a prison, as happened with many other friaries and monasteries in Europe. In this almost unique case, the church, with its impressive artwork, was also converted for prison use.
For nearly two centuries the San Francesco Prison incarcerated hundreds of inmates during the ups and downs of Parma and Italy. There are two saintly figures of note who worked there, namely, Blessed Anna Maria ADORNI (1805-1893), and the Venerable Friar Lino MAUPAS, OFM (1866-1924). They served the prisoners and the poor with great love during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Recovery
The Friars Minor Conventual returned to Parma in 1970. For almost fifty years, they served as prison chaplains while also working to recover the great church. In 1992, the prison was transferred to a new location outside the city. This generated fresh hope, but also began a period of difficulty and hardship. Renovating San Francesco would have to remain a dream for years to come.
Finally, an agreement between the property owners, namely the State Property Office and the new concessionaires of various portions of the San Francesco complex—the University of Parma and the Diocese of Parma—laid the foundations for the redevelopment of this sector of the city center. Thanks to the work of a special committee—with representatives from institutions, the business community and citizens’ groups—the diocese began the architectural and functional renovation of the Church of San Francesco del Prato in September of 2018.

Dedication
On October 3, 2021, after seven hundred days of construction work, Bishop Enrico SOLMI, performed the Rite of Dedication during a solemn, joyful, and well-attended celebration. Those present included many friars from the Italian Province of St. Anthony of Padua (Northern Italy), along with their Minister Provincial, Friar Roberto BRANDINELLI, and the Most Reverend Agostino GARDIN, OFM Conv., Bishop Emeritus of Treviso, Italy. The Church of San Francesco del Prato was then entrusted to the Friars Minor Conventual, who had been in charge of pastoral ministry at universities in the diocese for the last six years.
On October 4, the day after the reconsecration, the church hosted an unusual academic event. The University of Parma awarded the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio MATTARELLA, an honorary degree in International and European Relations. Thus, on the solemnity of the patron saint of Italy, the president himself pointed the way to developing common European law in the area of university education. This site once again became a hub of spiritual, fraternal and academic life, just as the Franciscan Theological Studium had been since the 15th century.

During 2018, 2019 and 2020, even while work was ongoing in the church, the Bishop of Parma decided to celebrate Evening Prayer for Christmas at the construction site of the Church of San Francesco del Prato, rather than at the cathedral. This year, for the first time, it was possible to fully celebrate Mass for Christmas, a feast so important to our Franciscan tradition.

Friar Francesco RAVAIOLI, Guardian