San Tiburzio oratory and Florilegium

The oratory of San Tiburzio, now desecrated, is a significant example of Baroque Parma, built by architect Adalberto Dalla Nave in 1722 and completed with additions by the architect Pancrazio Soncini a century and a half later. The Greek cross-shaped building is surmounted by a polygonal tiburio, which covers the dome frescoed by Giovanni Gaibazzi between 1883 and 1885, with the Assumption of Mary and the four evangelists. Inside are four allegorical statues of the sculptor Agostino Ferrarini depicting the cardinal virtues. The façade is marked by two orders of half-columns and houses statues of the Faith and Charity and of the saints Filippo Neri, Carlo Borromeo, Nicola and Vincenzo de 'Paoli, also by Ferrarini. According to tradition, in this place in the fifth century was built the first Christian church in Parma, dedicated to Mary Most Holy, in place of an even more ancient pagan temple dedicated to Mars or Juno.

In 1230 the church was a parish, then it became part of the Benedictine monastery of St. John the Evangelist and then passed to the Franciscan converts, The oratory was deconsecrated and in 1875, San Tiburzio was bought by the Congregation of Charity. This Congregation is an organization born in the early sixteenth century and since then dedicated to the care of needy people in Parma, especially poor people. Having become a public institution in the last century, Carità then changed its name to Iraia and today it is Asp Ad Personam, still the owner of the oratory.  The Congregation completed the recovery of the oratory, adding statues and frescoes to return it to the cult from 1885.

Once again desecrated in 1913, the oratory became a deposit of the Palatine library. After passing for a few years to the Diocese, it was the university chapel, the Fuci headquarters and the first Orthodox church in the city.

The church is currently hosting an artistic installation called Florilegium by Rebecca Louise Law.
The path of Rebecca Louise Law's work begins with the planted seed and continues with the processing of the flowers, one by one, with copper wire, respecting the British tradition inherited in the family. Finally, after about six months spent completing all the bunches (or clusters), they were transported to Italy for setting up in the spaces of the Oratory of San Tiburzio.

The fifty species of flowers on display lead back to the idea that, according to the artist, preserving, recycling, reusing and donating are a dynamic part of the cycle that nature creates without end. To the visitor, even if only for a few moments, the work opens up a special access, as it makes the encounter between man and nature visible and concrete, now frozen by the artist in Parma.

Florilegium was born from the urgency to bring a new look to those citizens, locals or tourists, who wish to visit an immersive and unforgettable contemporary art exhibition.

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