Ascensa di Francesco nel Paradiso di Dante

The Ascension of St Francis in Dante’s Paradise, 2026

Ars Pace – on the eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis – has developed the event “Ascent of Francis into Dante’s Paradise” to promote a new path focused on dialogue and culture dedicated to the figure of Saint Francis of Assisi, whom Dante Alighieri commemorates, following his passing, in Canto XI of Paradise. Francis is described as ‘seraphic in fervour’, that is, as ardent in charity as a seraph, and with wonderful verses Dante describes his mystical love for Madonna Poverty, the bride whom Francis will entrust to his disciples before dying.

This anniversary is a moment of extraordinary significance for Italy and for the global community, as it is a unique event for future generations, considering that St Francis (together with Giotto and Dante) represents a founding root of Italian cultural and artistic humanism. Furthermore, the Saint’s spiritual and linguistic legacy, which contributed to the spread of the Italian language and culture, embodies a universal spirituality based on human dignity and brotherhood, in which the value of the message of peace is understood as solidarity-based diplomacy in all its forms.

The initiative – created by President Enrique Barón Crespo, Vice President Monica Baldi, and the Chair of the Scientific Committee Anna Rüdeberg – also celebrates October 4th, which once again becomes a national holiday. The feast of St Francis can be seen as a reminder and consolation for all those going through difficult times: a meeting point between East and West, just as Francis himself served as a bridge between the two when he met Sultan Malik al-Kāmil during the Fifth Crusade, successfully promoting diplomacy and peace.

The event is supported by the Italian Cultural Institute in Zurich, the Dante Alighieri Society and the Italian State School in Madrid, and marks the conclusion of Ars Pace’s three-year project entitled “Trilogy of Franciscan Peace”, Patrocinated by the Municipality of Assisi and the Provincial Order of the Seraphic Province of St Francis of Assisi.Begun in 2024 for the celebrations of the Stigmata at the Convent of Monteripido, it continued in 2025 with the homage to the Canticle of the Creatures at the Sacred Convent of Assisi and culminates in 2026 in 5 evocative places:

1)    May 21^st, Zurich: St. Franziskus Church Theatre. Play “I Could Have Had It All” by Luisa Benevieri, Roberto Costantini and Daniele Ridolfi.

2)    May 29^th, Lausanne (1265, presumed birth of Dante): Anthropole, University of Lausanne. Prestigious round-table discussion. Musical performance by violinist Anastasiya Petryshak.

3)    June 8^th, Madrid (1290, death of Beatrice, Dante’s guide in Paradise): Aula Magna, Italian State School. Lecture and student performances.

4)    September 9th, Assisi: Sala Conciliazione, Palazzo dei Priori, Town Hall. High-profile conference. Musical performance by cellist George Georgescu. Special visit to the Porziuncola.

5)    October 4^th, Geneva (1226, death of St Francis): Grand Salle de Pleinpalais Theatre. Concert for peace in honour of St Francis with the musicians: Sebastiano Brusco on piano, George Georgescu on cello and Anastasiya Petryshak on violin.

The project’s added value at an international level lies in strengthening Italy’s image as the cradle of humanism, art and spirituality; it offers supranational visibility through high-quality artistic events that promote the Italian language and culture, as well as the performing arts for peace, thereby supporting cultural diplomacy in a year of great symbolic significance, with the involvement of prestigious Italian institutions and training establishments abroad.