RENOIR IN CAPISTRANO

     In his book, Renoir, my Father, the great French artist's  son describes his father's trip to Calabria and his stay at the home of a Calabrian Priest he had met while in Naples. The book then adds that Renoir painted some frescos in the priest's church as a token of appreciation for the priest's kindness.

     In the sixties a journalist by the name of Sharo Gambino, two local teachers, Giovanni Curatola, Giuseppe Pisani and a local artist by the name of Franco Natale started postulating that the town mentioned in the book was in fact Capistrano and that the frescos where the ones on the walls of our church.

     The present verdict is that in fact Renoir did come to Capistrano, as his drawing, "Calabrian Landascape" clearly shows and that he might have repaired the painting, "The Baptism of Christ" shown below.

     Others are now suggesting that he painted other frescos as well (See the paintings below).

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