Area Espositiva San Giuseppe Marello

The San Giuseppe Marello exhibition area in Asti interprets the life and work of the founder of the Oblates of Saint Joseph. It occupies the congregation's Casa Madre beside the sanctuary where Marello's remains are kept.

Why it matters

The exhibition connects the history of Giuseppe Marello with the religious congregation he founded in Asti in 1878. The adjacent sanctuary links his biography to the continuing devotional life of the Oblates, whose work later extended beyond Italy.

What to notice

The exhibition combines documentary panels, multimedia material and spaces for reflection. It traces Marello's life from his birth in 1844 and ordination in 1868 through the founding of the Oblates in 1878 and his appointment as Bishop of Acqui in 1889. The sanctuary's Romanesque-revival design includes a colonnaded interior and a bell tower.

Context and history

Giuseppe Marello founded the Oblates of Saint Joseph in Asti in 1878 and later became Bishop of Acqui. He died in Savona in 1895. His remains were transferred to Asti in 1923. The sanctuary was designed by Monsignor Alessandro Thea in 1927 on the site of an earlier church associated with a Poor Clares monastery. Marello was beatified in 1993 and canonised in 2001.