Spring 2023: I was in the middle of my master’s degree at the School of Sacred Art in Florence and I had two friends who were getting married, one in April and the other in May. I decided to make a statue and give it to them as a wedding gift.

That’s how Saint Joseph the Pilgrim was born.

I wanted Joseph to be joyful, young and in the fullness of life. Because if Mary fell in love with him – we know that people married much younger at the time and that Mary was about 16 – I couldn’t imagine Joseph with grey hair. Joseph therefore proudly carries the Son of God on his shoulders, staff in hand, inviting us to courageously take control of our lives too and offer them to the world.

Following its success, I decided to make 25 cm versions to sell more widely.