3/12/2011

Bellarmine Schola dedicates final tour concert at Duomo di San Gregorio Magno, Monte Porzio Catone on March 13 at 7 PM to Japanese earthquake victims

Bellarmine University’s Schola Cantorum and Louisville Vocal Project presents the final concert of their 2011 Incantato Italy Performance Tour at Il Duomo di San Gregorio Magno in Monte Porzio Catone on Sunday, March 13, 2011 at 7 PM. Shocked by the news from Japan, the singers and Incantato Tours decided to dedicate this special event to the victims of the Earthquake and Tsunami in the Pacific. Any donations by the audience will be tripled by the concert tour organizers and passed on the the Red Cross for their rescue efforts in Japan.
Il Duomo di San Gregorio Magno, or the Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Great, was constructed in 1666 in Monte Porzio Catone, Italy. Prince Giovan Battista Borghese, Lord of Monte Porzio, commissioned architect Carlo Rainaldi to design the structure. The façade, flanked by two sets of columns, is crowned by a triangular pediment boasting a large marble coat of arms. The molding above the central doorway bears the inscription “Divo Gregorio Magno Dicatum,” or “Dedicated to Saint Gregory the Great.” Two large bell towers also border the exterior of the church. Rainaldi constructed the church in a traditional Greek cross layout with three altars and two small chapels near the entrance. In honor of Prince Borghese, each wall bears a chancel adorned with the dragon and eagle of the Borghese coat of arms. The four confessionals are identical to those in the Roman church of Santa Maria Campitelli, also designed by Rainaldi. The church also displays 18th century images of the Via Crucis, a 17th century statue of Sant’Antonio Abate, and a large 19th century organ.

The recording below was taken at the Naples Concert on March 7 in Naples.