Capuchin friars to leave Barbarano after more than four centuries

The Capuchin friars will leave the convent of Barbarano in Salò, on the western shore of Lake Garda, between October and November, after more than four centuries of presence. The decision is part of the order’s downsizing plan, linked to the declining number of religious members and the need to concentrate resources and communities. The convent premises will be entrusted to the Brescia-based association Abitare la Vita, which is connected with the Fatebenefratelli. Its projects will support people and families experiencing vulnerability and provide housing solutions.

The future of the adjoining church has yet to be decided. The services previously provided by the friars to religious communities, healthcare facilities and diocesan clergy will also have to be reorganised. The prospects for the lay community of the Third Franciscan Order remain uncertain as well. According to Pierlucio Ceresa, general secretary of the Comunità del Garda, the friars’ departure deprives the western shore of a point of reference that has existed since the early seventeenth century. Ceresa also recalls the role monasticism played over the centuries in the agricultural and landscape development of the area, from cultivation to the spread of cypress trees used as windbreaks.