Conclusion of the Year Dedicated to Father Francesco Denza in Moncalieri
Called by Pope Leo XIII to Lead the Vatican Observatory
The Commemorative Year dedicated to Father Francesco Denza concluded with a solemn symposium in Moncalieri (province of Turin) that cast new light on the extraordinary legacy of a man able to embody a perfect synthesis of priesthood, education, and cutting-edge scientific research.
Born in Naples in 1834, Denza showed precocious talent, earning a degree in engineering at just sixteen. He then devoted his life to the Clerics Regular of St. Paul and, in 1856, moved north to the Royal Carlo Alberto College in Moncalieri. At this institution he worked for thirty-five years, earning degrees in mathematics and physics and transforming the college into a true formative center for the learned classes of the Kingdom of Italy, combining academic rigor with an educational charisma that made him a point of reference for his students and for the great Turin “social saints,” such as Blessed Francesco Faà di Bruno.
The turning point of his scientific maturity came with the appointment he received in 1891 from Pope Leo XIII, who called him to direct the re-founded Vatican Observatory. During the symposium, Father Gabriele Gionti, S.J., deputy director of the Observatory, illustrated Denza’s monumental work in restoring papal astronomy to the highest international standards, emphasizing the strong scientific bond with the Jesuit Father Angelo Secchi and the determination to dispel any prejudice of obscurantism toward the Church through research of excellence. This Roman mission did not, however, interrupt his local commitment: Professor Luca Mercalli, his successor as president of the Italian Meteorological Society, recalled the extraordinary achievement of linking more than 250 meteorological observatories, many of them located in remote Alpine areas and entrusted to the care of local parish priests, demonstrating a pioneering vision of climatology and environmental monitoring.
Dr. Daniela Berta, director of the National Mountain Museum, highlighted how Denza’s love for the high mountain peaks — shared with the Italian Alpine Club and the House of Savoy—was experienced as a path of spiritual elevation. At the same time, Father Mario Zardi, superior of the Barnabites of Moncalieri, outlined Denza’s bond with the Shrine of Pompeii and his deep friendship with Saint Bartolo Longo, with whom he established a “Festival of Science” that for decades attracted the most illustrious Catholic scientists of the time. This spirit of tireless popularizer and implementer of prophetic intuitions—ranging from terrestrial magnetism to earthquakes and atmospheric electricity—was also celebrated through the recovery of the moving verses of his former student Aleramo Pallavicini, who wrote:
“Among so many dear names I must write / the one that belongs to a celebrity:/ a name for all of us, full of allure,/ and for me of fine memories of familiarity:/ Father Francesco Denza, in conclusion,
was a great scientist, beyond dispute./ Meteorologist, astronomer of world renown,/he must surely have seen more than half the globe,/ carrying his phenomenal activity,/his experience and his great learning;/ President of societies…, of a thousand Congresses,/ all for Science and for its progress…”
The Denzian Year is not intended as a simple commemoration, but as a commitment to the future. A scientific committee is in the process of being established with the mission of organizing an annual “Denza Day” dedicated to the themes of meteorology and creation. The journey resumes with encouragement from the words spoken by Leo XIV during his recent visit to the Vatican Observatory: “do not hesitate to share the joy and wonder born from your contemplation of those ‘seeds’ that, in the words of Saint Augustine, God scattered in the harmony of the universe.”
Giancarlo Chiappello and Fr. Gabriele Gionti, S.J.