Renova is opening a photography exhibition at the Church of Santa Cruz do Castelo in Lisbon, depicting the Beatitudes through the eyes of French photographer François Rousseau, which will run until 31st of December.
The exhibition marks the 20th anniversary of the book "Amor Causa", an artistic commission from Renova to François Rousseau, inspired by Christ's teachings to the 12 Apostles (Mt 5:5-7).
Curated by Father João Norton, S.J., the exhibition aims to raise funds for the preservation of the cultural and religious heritage of the Church of Santa Cruz do Castelo.
The photographic work was carried out in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, where François Rousseau discovered the person who represented Christ and the 12 citizens who take on the role of Apostles, not using models or artificial backdrops, choosing to photograph real people, people with lives, sometimes on the periphery, marked by hardship and raw beauty.
“The book Amor Causa has now been reissued, and we took care to include the texts of the Beatitudes in the languages that marked their transmission through the centuries: Aramaic — which we corrected in this new edition — Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and also in modern languages, in order to show the journey of these words and how they have reached us,” explains Paulo Pereira da Silva, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Renova.
O Padre Edgar Clara, Pároco da Igreja de Santa Cruz do Castelo, reforça que “A exposição integra o programa de dinamização cultural de Santa Cruz, que tem como objectivo angariar fundos para a salvaguarda do património da Igreja, nomeadamente para o restauro dos altares e de 11 telas da Cartuxa de Évora, da autoria de Domingo António de Sequeira”.