Overlooking
la Valle del Liri

In anticipation of the Jubilee Year of 2000, the city of Roccasecca held a contest among more than ten sculptors for a statue of St Thomas. A book was produced (Concorso per la statua di San Tommaso, ed. Floriano De Santi [Roccasecca: Centro Internazionale “Umberto Mastroianni,” 1999]), with articles about the importance of Thomas to the city (in Italian, and English translations), and with pictures of the many entries. The statues were in various styles, from traditional to ultra-modern. The winning sculptor was Giuliano Vangi, whose entry was a colossus, in a streamlined yet traditional style (my layman’s description).

Vangi finally completed the final version of the 20-ft+ statue, and the City of Roccasecca held an inauguration on May 29, 2005, marked (literally!) with a postage stamp. You can see pictures of the ceremony here (it seems that the whole town turned out!).