As part of the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Venerable Father Placido Cortese (1907-1944), the photographic-documentary exhibition ‘In my heart like a wound. The concentration camp of Chiesanuova and the work of Father Placido Cortese‘.

The exhibition, which is the result of accurate archive research conducted by Prof. Antonio Spinelli and Dr. Maria Grazia Tornisiello in Italy and Slovenia, is the first return to the public of documents and historical evidence mostly unknown to Paduans. It is a dutiful tribute to the memory of the events that took place in the concentration camp of Chiesanuova (which after the war became the ‘Mario Romagnoli’ barracks, later decommissioned in 2009) and the just recognition of the suffering of thousands of internees from the former Yugoslavia, as well as the relief work supported in particular by Father Placido Cortese, a friar of the Saint.

It is possible to meet the curator of the exhibition, Prof. Antonio Spinelli:

– Saturday 18 January, 11 a.m. (during the presentation of the exhibition)

– Saturday 25 January, 11 a.m. to 12 noon;

– Saturday 8 February, 11 a.m. to 12 noon.

The exhibition is promoted by: Italian Province of St. Anthony of Padua of the Friars Minor Conventual, Municipality of Padua (which has given its patronage), Consulta di Quartiere 6A, Associazione Viaggiare i Balcani, National Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia, Casrec – Centro di Ateneo per la storia della resistenza e dell’età contemporanea – Unipd (which has given its patronage), Veneranda Arca di S. Antonio, Diocese of Padua.

When: From 18 January to 16 February 2025.

Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Closed on Mondays.

Where: Aquarium Hall, ground floor of the Cultural Centre.

Entrance: Free entrance.