Sacred Art By Chalk Artists On The Streets Of A Small Village In Northern Italy
On August 14–15, 135 chalk artists from all over the world will come together for the National Festival of Street Artists, an artistic event that will take sacred art literally to the streets of a small Lombard village of Grazie in the Norhtern Italy.
Artists will gather in front of the Sanctuary of the Beata Vergine delle Grazie offering visitors a unique show by creating artworks on religious subjects, one of these subjects is the depiction of Madonna. From the morning of August 14th to sunset on August 15th artists will be literally on their knees creating sacred art that will live even for a moment.
The yearly meet-up of chalk artists is timed to coincide with the feast of the Antichissima Fiera delle Grazie to celebrate the Assumption of Mary. This year the National Festival of Street Artists also celebrates its 50th edition with the theme of the “Divine Comedy”.
The chalk artworks of sacred art will be reviewed by a professional jury, which includes journalists, ecclesiastical representatives, art historians and experts of street art.
The village of Grazie is part of the municipality of Curtatone, with origins dating back to Roman rule. The village was first documented in 1037 and was named Grazie in 1362 after the place of worship referred to as Santa Maria delle Grazie. During the late Middle Ages the village was part of the fortification system that was to defend and protect the city of Mantua.
