Written and Directed by Paola Rossi
Historical Consultant Angelo Chemin
Featuring Carlo Presotto and the Coenobium Vocale choir conducted by Maria Dal Bianco
Video Projections by Carlo Presotto in collaboration with Mauro Zocchetta
Technical Director Federico Fracasso

National Premiere

Ponzio of Melgueil, the seventh abbot of Cluny, returned from the Holy Land and arrived in 1124 at the entrance to the Brenta Valley, where the road ran that Albert of Stade would describe, in the mid-13th century, as a route connecting northern Germany with Rome. Here, Pontius founded the monastery dedicated to the Holy Cross and the Mother of God, which was destined to become an important spiritual and cultural crossroads.
Several monks from Cluny requested to transfer to the monastery founded by Pontius, and upon the abbot’s death in 1126, the monastery was incorporated in 1127 into the important Cluniac monastery of San Benedetto Po.
Nine hundred years after the founding of the Campese monastery, in the evocative setting of the church, the performance commemorates its founder by retracing the life of this charismatic and controversial figure: from his leadership of one of Europe’s most powerful monastic centers to his removal from office; from his pilgrimage to the Holy Land to his arrival in the Brenta Valley; from the founding of the new monastery to its dramatic conclusion.
Carlo Presotto takes on the role of Abbot Ponzio, bringing to life his extraordinary spiritual and human journey interwoven with the history of his time through a rigorous and engaging narrative. The stage design incorporates video projections that highlight the monastic architecture and enrich the story with evocative imagery.
The choice of the Coenobium Vocale choir underscores the emphasis on the musical dimension of the narrative, a fundamental element in evoking the historical and religious context of the story.
In the background stands the monastery as it is today, the beating heart of a community; a place of study, culture, fellowship, and spirituality.

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