European Heritage Days 2024 at the Museo Cappella Sansevero

Il Museo Cappella Sansevero adheres to European Heritage Days 2024, which will be held on September 28 and 29, with a special initiative aimed at celebrating the intercultural tradition and progressive thinking of the VII Prince of Sansevero.

In line with this year's theme, Heritage on the move, the museum will exceptionally exhibit the original edition of the Apologetic Letter, the most significant work of Raimondo di Sangro.

The Museo Cappella Sansevero, on the occasion of the European Heritage Days, is also committed to a cultural solidarity project. A portion of the proceeds from September 28 (€1,00 for each paying visitor) will be donated to the State Archives of Naples for the restoration of historical drawings from notarial protocols from the XNUMXth to XNUMXth centuries. These are documents that represent monuments and views of Naples and that accompanied deeds of sale or contracts for the commission of works, constituting a unique heritage that deserves to be preserved for future generations.

European Heritage Days 2024

The European Heritage Days are the largest cultural event in Europe, this year dedicated to the theme Heritage on the move. A theme, chosen by the Council of Europe and shared by the participating countries, which invites us to explore the traces of cultural interactions that have contributed to the formation of our identity.

The Apologetic Letter

La Apologetic Letter of the Academic Exercise of the Crusca perfectly represents this theme, demonstrating the modernity of thought of Prince Raimondo di Sangro and his openness towards non-European cultures. With this work, the Prince of Sansevero shows a cosmopolitan and nonconformist mind, eager to explore the cultures and customs of distant peoples to promote intercultural dialogue already in the eighteenth century.

The contents and the realization of the Apologetic Letter

Published in early 1751 by the Prince's private printing house, the Apologetic Letter defends an ancient communication system of the Incas: the whopu, knots made with colored strings, recognizing the dignity of writing. The prince signs himself with the name of an academic of the Crusca, “Esercitato”, and uses the work to express his unorthodox point of view on various subjects, including the miracle of San Gennaro and the origin of the world and man. This approach earned him the reputation of an irreverent and libertine thinker and led to the condemnation of the work by the Church, which placed it on the Index of Prohibited Books.

Beyond its scholarly value on whopu, Apologetic Letter represents a critique of the limits of the dominant European culture, arguing that cultural diversity does not imply backwardness. Di Sangro rejected the vision of the Incas as “savages,” proposing an alternative perspective in the name of cultural relativism, which was emerging precisely thanks to works such as his.

Reservations are required on Sansevero Chapel Museum website, we remind you that the last entry is permitted up to 30 minutes before closing.