Lorenzo Ferri

Book illustration from Kappa editions.

Lorenzo Ferri was a painter and sculptor born in Mercato Saraceno, Emilia-Romagna province, in 1902 and died in Rome in 1975. He notably produced works of sacred art. He specialized in the Holy Shroud, of which he made several relief reproductions, which caused his falling out with Maria Valtorta. He is also the author of the largest nativity scene in the world (4 meters). A museum is dedicated to him in Cave, a town in Lazio about 40 km east of Rome.

The falling out with Maria Valtorta

In 1949, the Vatican organized a competition to replace and beautify the Holy Door of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, which was then made of wood. This competition was launched on the occasion of the Jubilee Year of 1950. Lorenzo Ferri, an established artist, entered.

For the Catholic Church, the Jubilee Year, or "Holy Year," is a particularly important time. It occurs every 50 years since 1300. It was during this year 1950 that Pius XII proclaimed the dogma of the Assumption, a dogma willed by Heaven as revealed to Maria Valtorta a few years earlier.

The contest was won by the Tuscan Vico Consorti (1902–1979). The current bronze door was inaugurated on December 24, 1949. But on this occasion Lorenzo Ferri met Father Corrado Berti, who also resided in Rome. Walking back with him, on foot, to the Monteverde district of Rome, he told him about his studies on the Shroud of Turin (also called the Holy Shroud) on which he had been working for about twenty years, and about his desire to know the Face of Christ.

Father Berti then told him he knew people who could accurately describe this Face, because they saw it every day: of course, it was Maria Valtorta.

From 1949, with Father Berti, he met Maria Valtorta in Viareggio. The exact date of this meeting is not known. He showed her photos of his reconstructions of the Face of Christ based on the Holy Shroud. But Maria Valtorta corrected him: it was not exactly how she had seen the Face of Christ.

Illustration of the visions

Collection of illustrations by Lorenzo Ferri made under the guidance of Maria Valtorta.

Then began a collaboration of about four years, sometimes directly under Maria Valtorta’s instructions, sometimes via correspondence in which Maria Valtorta commented on sketches she had received.

"The Last Supper you sent me as ambiance is Good, but as Faces!... But why didn’t you make the Faces as you did here in 1950? Even the resurrection of Lazarus, I only half like it, so naked, while he was swaddled... This Face of Jesus is really pure, gentle, expressive, perfect as I remember in the (rare) moments when he was happy, serene, praying.

One day, Lorenzo Ferri entered Valtorta’s room and found her with a very pale Face. Maria explained that she had seen in the courtyard (where she could not go) Jesus nodding his head at the pastel portraits of the Apostles (placed outside to dry the fixative), except for John, drawn with an excessively determined chin. The artist, without hesitation, cut the sheet and redrew the chin.

These drawings and sketches have been collected by the Valtortian Editorial Center (CEV) and published in Valtorta & Ferri.

In the Bulletin No. 12 of February 1975 (page 3), Emilio Pisani summarizes the collaboration between the mystic and the artist:

"The relations with Valtorta were very interesting for him (L. Ferri), both for the decisive contribution she gave in his passionate research to reconstruct the Face of Christ, and, finally, for certain doubts about the details of the Shroud, which Maria Valtorta dispelled with extreme ease.

[…] Professor Ferri sat next to the bedridden writer’s bed, in the house in Viareggio, his back turned, drawing while following all the suggestions that Maria Valtorta gave him. The sessions were not always calm, as Maria imposed herself strongly on Ferri and sometimes shook him when he did not execute the drawing with sufficient fidelity and made him correct some details. Generally, Lorenzo Ferri, having obtained the exact description of the character or scene to be represented, would leave to perfect it, then return to submit the drawing to Maria Valtorta. And he did this for the drawings he had made in his studio in Rome. However, we are not able to determine exactly which and how many of the drawings were truly approved by Maria Valtorta. We think we can be certain about those of the characters, and a little more reserved for the scenes which however, at minimum, are of Valtortian inspiration.

Lorenzo Ferri also depicted innumerable other scenes from the work "The Poem of the Man-God" (The Gospel as It Was Revealed to Me), in charcoal, on ordinary notebooks. Often, they are sketches, not without notable artistic force. But we have not included them, because there is no direct contribution from Valtorta to their realization and they clearly reflect Ferri’s stylistic personality."

As a sign of authenticity, Maria Valtorta hung the portrait of Christ drawn by L. Ferri above her bed. Some of his sketches, made under Maria Valtorta’s guidance, were reworked in color by Renato Ammanito for the French edition covers of 1985. The originals were monochrome.

In her letters to her spiritual mother, Mother Teresa Maria of the Camaiore convent, Maria Valtorta mentions these collaborations:

"Professor Ferri came on April 2 (1950). He is a professor-sculptor-painter, winner of sketches for the doors of Saint Peter’s in Rome. He came to me because he would be the illustrator of the work (he offers his work free to honor Jesus and Mary), then because he has been working on figures of Christ for 22 years; but, after reading the work (he is a true Catholic), he realized that he had made Christs who are not resembling. So he first sent me (in February) sketches and photos for me to make observations. Then the honorable Corsanego brought him the reworked figures based on my indications; more similar, but still imperfect and different from the model: Jesus.

But on Sunday 2, he came with his brother, it was 8:30 am and he left at 12:30 noon, after making two figures of the Holy Face of Jesus, under my direction. And it was a new miracle. Because what he had not been able to do in 22 years of study, he did in one hour and fifteen minutes, and he himself was amazed because in a few pencil strokes the living Christ appeared to him, conforming to the Face of the Shroud (of which he is one of the scholars) but living. Two beautiful heads: one from the front and the other in profile. Then we talked about the Holy Shroud, of which he had a very clear photo. And under my direction, he detected what is not clear on the photo. In other words, the whip marks from the feet to the shoulders, on the back, on the belly, on the diaphragm, on the chest... the horrible torture of Christ! And other wounds also produced by stones, punches, ropes, blows, falls, etc., etc. Now, in May, there is a sindonological congress in Rome; and Ferri must give a speech. He wanted to know well, to speak confidently.

He said he would come back because he wants to modify the Face of the Apostles and Mary, of his doors, and make illustrations conforming to the truth for the work."

During this first International Conference of Study on the Holy Shroud (Rome, 1950), Lorenzo Ferri presented his artistic and scientific works and was received in a private audience by Pope Pius XII, to whom he showed the Face of Jesus Christ.

Defense of Maria Valtorta's cause

The period when he met Maria Valtorta was when the struggle between Pius XII’s entourage, favorable to the Work, and the Holy Office, decidedly hostile, was at its peak. This motivated him to join the "illustrious personalities" who gave their testimony to the Holy Father. Lorenzo Ferri’s statement is as follows:

TESTIMONY

"I have carefully read and examined the entire Work written by Maria Valtorta, which speaks about the life of Christ and the Apostles, and I have made known passages of this Work on essential points such as mentality, faith, epoch.

Firstly. My judgment as an artist and researcher is as follows:

a) The places, contexts, and customs of Palestine are described with such vividness that they give the impression that the writer actually lived in those places and environments.

b) The dialogues impressively outline the character of the persons and their actions.

c) Many obscure and controversial points of the Gospel are clarified by logical and convincing evidence.

d) The reading of this Work has had the power to arouse in me a firmer faith and a higher desire for fervor.

e) The content of the descriptions is so vast that it can be the subject of inspiration for endless works of art.

f) I personally met Valtorta and found her a simple, energetic, intelligent, and sincere woman. While portraying her, I felt a great sense of peace.

g) I drew and painted, following her precise instructions, in only three days, the figures of the twelve Apostles, the Face of Jesus, that of the Virgin, the resurrection of Lazarus, and the Nativity. In my 34 years of artistic life, I have never worked with as much spontaneous happiness.

h) As a specialist in the study of the Shroud, I can state, supported by evidence, that the description given by Valtorta of the Face and Body of the Lord is impressively confirmed in the imprint of the Holy Shroud, for example the dislocation of Christ’s left shoulder, later confirmed by me during my studies on the imprints of the Holy Shroud.

Secondly. Judgment of an atheist philosophy and history professor at the University of Rome: "The work is very well written; it is captivating even if prolix ...".

Thirdly. Judgment of a believing engineer, lukewarm but non-practicing (G ...): "What I read did me a lot of good and I would like to read the entire work".

Fourthly. Judgment of a rural priest (Don C…): "It moved me, and I preached with more enthusiasm".

Fifthly. From my pupils (young about 14 years old): "Professor, the passages you read to us are very good and made us cry".

Sixthly. From two artisans, one a house painter and the other a carpenter. After reading a lesson of Jesus to Thomas and the other Apostles on how to paint a door, the two artisans added: "It is perfectly exact: whoever wrote it is certainly a professional".

Seventhly. From a believer, rich merchant condemned to blindness (P ...). "It gives me courage to endure my misfortune"; he said after reading a passage on the Passion.

All that I have written is true.

Rome, January 21, 1952, Sacred Art Studio Via Felice Cavallotti, 46 ROME

(Prof. Lorenzo Ferri) Lorenzo Ferri"

His works on the Holy Shroud validated by Maria Valtorta's visions

In 1965, he felt the need to publish a new attestation focused, this time, on the relationship between his work on the Holy Shroud and Maria Valtorta’s visions. This attestation, which we reproduce, is visible at the museum in Cave dedicated to him.

Confirmation of the nailing on the Cross

Reconstruction by Lorenzo Ferri.

In his attestation, Lorenzo Ferri highlights a surprising observation on the body he reconstructed from the Holy Shroud:

"One year later, following my work reconstructing the body of Our Lord, I noted that the left arm was 4 centimeters shorter than the right arm. Perplexed by this anomaly, and after consulting renowned doctors, we concluded that Our Lord had suffered either an intentional or accidental sprain. When questioned by me, Maria Valtorta smiled and read me a passage from her work where this dislocation was described in minute detail, a writing dating back 4 years earlier. Thus, I had a second confirmation that what Valtorta saw was absolute truth."

This dislocation of the arm, extremely painful, is the consequence of the stretching done by the torturers to reach the pre-drilled holes. They are necessary for the nailing. One must be a woodworker to know this, which Maria Valtorta was not, as she vividly describes in detail Jesus’ crucifixion (EMV 609.5). The dislocation resulted in nailing one hand at the wrist and the other in the palm. She adds that the torturers had to also stretch the legs for the same reason. She finally specifies a detail that cannot appear on the Shroud: The cross is turned with the crucified to clinch the nails (EMV 631.6).

Even more surprisingly, these details are found in the visions of Marie d’Agréda and Anne-Catherine Emmerich. Mgr René Laurentin comments on this observation in his comparative study dedicated to them, 'The Life of Mary According to the Revelations of the Mystics' (Presses de la Renaissance, 2011):

This agreement, on a point outside the Gospel, is remarkable, given that they do not copy each other. We have not found any inspiring model in the "Golden Legend" nor in other influential medieval texts.

For his part, Lorenzo Ferri notes about the hands:

"On the Shroud, the presence of the nail in the left hand is irrefutable, not on the wrist, as scholars have always thought (perhaps against the Gospel: see John 20:24-29), but in the palm. As for the right, it is logical to suppose that it was nailed at the wrist as usual; but it cannot be seen because it is covered by the other hand. Maria Valtorta demonstrates the reason for this difference."

Experimental work by Lorenzo Ferri.

And about the feet:

"By carefully observing the Shroud, one can see that the right foot was nailed and then un-nailed. This discovery made by me, and also by others, was described by Maria Valtorta 4 years earlier. It is therefore not a displacement of the cloth but a genuine imprint left by the blood flowed from the first and second wounds."

Confirmation of other details

According to L. Ferri’s experimental research, Jesus measured 1.87 m. This matches Maria Valtorta’s observation according to which Jesus was tall and taller than his Apostles, except Judas who was close in height.

He specifies other elements. For example, in note 39 of his museum, he notes: "It emerges from the Shroud that Jesus died with his mouth open." An apparently trivial detail, but which endorses Maria Valtorta’s description. Jesus breathed out his soul in a last cry, the very one mentioned in Matthew 27:50. This loud cry, according to Maria Valtorta, is the unfinished word "Mother!" (EMV 609.22).

He also observes a trace of the Virgin Mary's hand receiving her dead son in her arms:

"Is it a female hand that crossed the arms of the Savior taken down from the Cross [...]? I prove that yes. Because, in the blood descending from the palm of the hand onto the arm, there is an interruption corresponding to the width of a female hand. Indeed, it is unbelievable that there would have been male hands even of adolescents at Calvary. I tried with many male hands, but they are all wider. I tried with the hands of Paola, and… they are as wide as this blood interruption. I made this observation in tears. The hand of Mary Magdalene, who according to tradition was tall and full, must have been proportioned and thus very large: everything therefore suggests that this female hand of an adult, but very small, as wide as the area of the aforementioned Divine blood interruption, is the Virginal Hand of the Mother of Jesus, as stated in the written work by Maria Valtorta almost 20 years before my scientific observation on this Shroud that the invalid (=Maria Valtorta) had never seen in photographic reproduction and full size."

This observation refers to the deposition from the Cross (EMV 609.33).

Further reading

• Read the Work online in the 1985 translation.
• Read the Work online in the 2016 translation.
• Search the Valtorta Index.
• Discuss on the Maria Valtorta Forum.

The Gospel as it was revealed to me (Maria Valtorta).