The School of Hibernia comes to Rome for St Brigid’s Day.
An ambitious art project titled The School of Hibernia, described as an Irish all-female reboot of Raphael’s School of Athens fresco, was presented in Rome on Monday.
The event, which comprised a symposium and a screening, was held with the support of the Embassy of Ireland to Italy, and Ireland-Italy Projects, as part of celebrations to mark St Brigid’s Day.
Na Cailleacha
Created by the art collective Na Cailleacha, the project is a full-scale, all-female re-enactment of Raphael’s High Renaissance masterpiece, in a tableau that was staged in the Museum Building in Trinity College Dublin.
The work features 41 influential Irish women, including former president Mary Robinson and Trinity provost Linda Doyle, purposefully replacing the original male philosophers to challenge patriarchal standards in art and education.
The eight members of Na Cailleacha – an Irish term for “witches”, “divine hags” or “wise women” – consist of six visual artists, a jazz musician and a curator/writer who joined forces to explore being female and being older creatives.
Symposium and screening
The symposium, held in the crypt of St Brigid’s Church in Piazza Farnese, featured illustrious speakers including Caroline Campbell, director of the National Gallery of Ireland, and Professor Arnold Nesselrath, formerly of the Vatican Museums.
The event concluded with the screening of Rootstock, a documentary by Therry Rudin detailing the creation of the tableau, at Cinema Farnese in Campo de’ Fiori.
“St. Brigid’s Day is a wonderful opportunity to highlight and celebrate the many achievements of women in Ireland and around the world” – Ambassador of Ireland to Italy, Elizabeth McCullough, stated, hailing the Rome event offered the chance “to reflect on the significant progress attained since The School of Athens was created, and the important work that remains to ensure full equality for women in today’s world.”
Ireland-Italy Projects was founded by Brenda Moore-McCann and Jane Adams in 2024 to promote cultural exchange between Ireland and Italy.
St Brigid’s Day, celebrated on 1 February, became Ireland’s newest public holiday in 2023 to honour the country’s female patron saint and the beginning of spring.
Photo: The School of Hibernia (after Raphael). 2024. Credit: Na Cailleacha.
