The Sala dell’Arengo houses the Tympanum of the Last Judgment by Giovanni da Rimini, a monumental and rare masterpiece of Italian medieval art, created for the church of St Augustine and now exhibited at the PART thanks to the Diocese of Rimini.
The last judgment
The Last Judgment by Giovanni da Rimini, one of the Italian masters of the early 14th century, was originally located in the church of the Hermits of St Augustine. It is now exceptionally exhibited at the PART, fostering an unprecedented dialogue between medieval and contemporary art.
In all likelihood, the creation of the Last Judgement should be dated between 1315, the year of the celebration of the General Chapter of the Hermits of St Augustine in Padua, and 1318, the year of the following one in Rimini at the church of St Augustine. Hidden behind a false ceiling installed in 1719, it reappeared after the earthquake of 1916, allowing the unveiling of the 14th-century frescoes in the presbytery area beneath the 18th-century plaster.
Subsequently it was dismantled and reassembled in the Sala dell’Arengo – the only room large enough to contain the Last Judgement – where it was held until 1944. Thanks to Prof Augusto Campana, it was transported to the Gambalunga Library in Rimini, saving it from certain destruction following the custom adopted by the occupying troops during the war to use any kind of combustible material for heating.
Once restored again in the Sala dell’Arengo, it remained there until 1985, ‘accompanying’ the sessions of the City Council, before being housed in the new City Museum of Rimini, as part of a display itinerary focusing specifically on 14th-century Riminese painting.