Launch of the Restoration of the Madonna of Besagno

The Tridentine Diocesan Museum announces the start of the restoration of the Madonna of Besagno, a precious wooden sculpture dating to the late 15th–early 16th century and attributed to the Veronese milieu close to the workshop of Antonio Giolfino. Donated to the Museum by the Moiola family, the work held strong devotional significance for the community of Besagno for centuries.

Funded by the Lions Club Trento Host, the restoration will be carried out by the laboratory “Stefano Gentili – Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage” and will be set up inside the Palatine Chapel on the second floor of the Museum. The conservation site will be open to public view during regular opening hours (Wednesday–Monday, 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. and 2:00–6:00 p.m.), offering visitors the opportunity to observe the various phases of the intervention at close range.

The sculpture, depicting the Madonna in adoration of the Child (now missing), was stolen in 1975 and later recovered by the Carabinieri on the banks of the Adige River, already severely damaged. Prolonged exposure to the elements and inappropriate past interventions made a major conservation effort necessary, aimed at restoring the work’s stability and legibility.

Through this intervention, the Museum renews its commitment to the protection and enhancement of the region’s historical and artistic heritage, made possible thanks to the support of the Moiola family and the Lions Club Trento Host.