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The Monument to Michele Bianchi is a large-scale funerary monument erected in Belmonte Calabro, in the province of Cosenza, during the 1930s. Sculptor Ercole Drei designed the structure, which consists of a tall travertine-clad column inspired by Trajan’s Column and crowned with a distinctive four-armed iron cross visible from all directions.
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The monument sits on a hillside surrounded by a dense pine plantation. A spiral staircase rises through the interior of the column shaft, reaching an upper balcony at the centre of which stands the cross, originally illuminated to function as a beacon. Relief friezes run along the massive base, depicting significant moments. A burial chamber was built into the base, originally furnished with bronze fittings and standards that were subsequently removed.
About the Sculpture
Ercole Drei was a sculptor active in twentieth-century Italy whose work engaged with monumental forms and public commissions of the period.
Details
- Creator: Ercole Drei
- Year: 1932
- Location: Belmonte Calabro, province of Cosenza, Calabria
- Material: Travertine column with iron cross
- Type: Funerary monument
Frequently asked questions
Who designed the monument?
Sculptor Ercole Drei designed the Monument to Michele Bianchi, completed in 1932.
What is at the top of the column?
A distinctive four-armed iron cross crowns the travertine column and was originally illuminated to serve as a beacon. A spiral staircase inside the shaft allows access to the upper balcony where the cross stands.
What happened to the bronze furnishings inside?
The burial chamber was originally equipped with bronze fittings and standards, which were removed after the fall of fascism. Some items have since been recovered and are held in the basement archives of Belmonte Calabro’s municipal building.
