Fr. Valentino Davanzati, Jesuit and actor
In the city of Livorno, the name of Fr. Davanzati is still well known today, linked not only to the memory of the Jesuit but above all to the art centre ‘Il Grattacielo’ that the father had directed and organised for decades, thanks to his passion and his studies in film and theatre.
The activity carried out by the father and the strong bond with Livorno and the centre are reflected in the copious documentation now kept in the Province’s historical archive. This is largely photographic material relating to the shows staged at ‘Il Grattacielo’ theatre but also to all the people who animated it between the 1960s and 1990s.
Biography
Livorno was the birthplace of Fr. Valentino, who came into the world on 30 September 1922. He first encountered Ignatian spirituality as a child at school; in fact, his family enrolled him in the St. Francis Xavier College, run by the Society of Jesus, on 1 December 1930, and in the following years his brothers Mario and Umberto were also enrolled.
In another class, where boys older than him by two years were studying, another pupil originally from Livorno sat at the school desk: Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. The two, always very close in memory of the Collegio, will maintain a solid friendship for the rest of their lives.
A few years after completing his high school studies, Fr Davanzati entered the novitiate on 4 November 1937 in Galloro and became a priest on 24 April 1954. He pronounced his last vows on 3 February 1958 in Florence.
His special ability to interact with young people is also due to his years of teaching and assisting schoolchildren: in Anagni, in Rome at the Maximilian Maximus Institute and in Livorno.
The Jesuit was awarded the title of Grand Officer of the Republic by the President of the Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
P. Davanzati…actor
Thanks to his decades of experience in the world of cinema and theatre and his studies, he was also involved in the filming of the movie Gostanza da Libbiano, directed by Paolo Benvenuti, where he played the role of Msgr. Tommaso Roffia.
P. Valentino died at the Canisio community in Rome on 27 April 2016. He rests in the Chapel of the Society of Jesus at the Verano monumental cemetery in Rome.
The Historical Archive preserves Fr Davanzati’s report card and group photos in the St Francis Xavier College of Livorno fund, his personal file in the Province of Italy fund, as well as all the material Fr Davanzati produced during his long activity as head of the Il Grattacielo Centre and as a tireless guide for young people.
Maria Macchi
