English
Don Bosco was the first saint in history to be photographed!
There are 42 photographs of Don Bosco; as historical figures of that century, only Garibaldi and Italy's King Vittorio Emanuele II had more photos taken and collected
Don Bosco was the first saint in history to be photographed!
There are 42 photographs of Don Bosco; as historical figures of that century, only Garibaldi and Italy's King Vittorio Emanuele II have more.
Don Bosco's photos range from 1861 to 1888, the month of his death.
In the first photos of 1861 he was ill, and they were taken to keep a memory of him in case he died.
Among the most famous photographs are:
- the photo of 1880, made by the photographer M. Schemboche and chosen as the official image for Don Bosco’s beatification and canonization
- the one taken in Nice in 1885, taken on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the work there
- the photo in Sampierdarena on 16 March 1886, commissioned by the Marquis Spínola
- the picture in Martì-Codolar, Barcelona, on 3 May 1886, with Don Bosco smiling surrounded by collaborators and young people.
And here is the first photo taken of Don Bosco and the last one found!
Probably dates back to around 1858-60.It was found in 2002 and studied by Fr Francesco Motto, a historian. To prove the fact that what you see in the picture is Don Bosco, an in-depth study, which lasted several months, was conducted with experts and specialists. The photo shows Don Bosco with four unidentified ladies. His face is youthful, calm and serene and even seems to have gained some weight. According to Fr Motto, it is the first photo taken of the Saint of Youth, and therefore the oldest, even though it was discovered only a few years ago.
