The Italian Legacy in the Dominican Republic

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ITALIAN SCULPTORS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

The doors of the Basilica of Higüey comprise a monumental work of 38 m

of bronze with 24-carat

gold plating, the unveiling of which took place at noon on Saturday, September 10, 1988, presided over by

President Balaguer and attended by Vice President Carlos Morales Troncoso, members of the presiden-

tial cabinet, the papal nuncio, Msgr. Blasco Francisco Collaço, the Archbishop of Santo Domingo, Msgr.

Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez, and several bishops of the country, as well as civil, municipal, and mili-

tary authorities.

Msgr. Polanco Brito offered a description of the work to those present, and revealed that its cost was DOP

2.5 million, a sum contributed by the Dominican Government, and that “these bronze doors with gold plating

to protect them from the scourge of salt air, emanating from the Caribbean Sea that bathes this region as a

whole, are unique in the world, since they are not embedded between walls, but are positioned as a wonder-

ful set of three doors, surrounded by an orange tree, to fill the gap that allows entry to the sanctuary” (

Listin

Diario

, September 11, 1988, 14). The gates of Gismondi were blessed in Rome by Pope John Paul II on June 1

of that same year.

However, the event was soon overshadowed by the arrival of Hurricane Gilbert, which ravaged the south-

west coast of the country on the night of September 11, 1988.

Another work by Tommaso Gismondi incorporates the symbols of the evangelists: the eagle of Saint

John, the angel of Saint Matthew, the bull of Saint Luke, and the lion of Saint Mark. These images are found

at the eastern gate to the Plazoleta de los Curas, next to the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, at its access on

Calle Isabel la Católica street in the Colonial City. The bronze pieces are attached to an iron band in the

center of the door; all the figures are winged. These small works were the last made by Tommaso Gismondi

for the Dominican Republic.

The Cathedral Basilica

of Nuestra Señora de

la Altagracia in Higüey.