Don Bosco did so much for his young people and had so little thought for himself that on at least two occasions he happened to find himself surprised by heavy showers, completely soaked and without spare clothes, so that he had to be satisfied with clothes that were a little extravagant or too short for him. And yet, we must not misunderstand: despite living in great poverty, Don Bosco did not fail to wear the priestly robes of the time worthily. Indeed, he himself made clothes for himself and for his young men, spending several nights working as a tailor and cobbler.
Now, some of those clothes he wore have been restored by the Benedictine nuns of Isola San Giulio, whose monastery stands on a picturesque, small island within Lake Orta. Specifically, they are:
- a cassock, with 32 buttons on the front and three on each sleeve. Without the typical gusset opening on the collar, it contains the initials of the saint's name embroidered inside.
- a heavy coat in woolen cloth, very useful in the Piedmontese winters, equipped with a “pellegrina”, a cape that covers the shoulders. Also, embroidered inside the coat: "D. Bosco".
- the tricorn, the typical headdress of the priests or clerics of the time. Lined internally, it also has the initials of Don Bosco's name embroidered.
- the “saturni”, the headdress used by priests for long journeys. Two have been restored, both of long-haired fleece, but one with open brims, the other with folded side flaps. Here too there are references to belonging to Don Bosco.
- the knitted scarf, probably by Mother Margherita, and the woolen gloves. The numerous mending testify to the great use that the saint made of it, as well as his sobriety.
All these garments, authentic relics, were cared for with much expertise and attention by the nuns, who first disinfected the garments from moths using sophisticated tools. Then they studied every inch of the garments under a microscope to make sure they had completely eradicated the moths. Finally, they proceeded to the phases of careful cleaning and needle consolidation of the fabric itself; for example, the holes of the moths were closed and the edges of ruined clothes were repaired.
A video (in Italian) is available on the website of the monastery of Isola San Giulio which presents the saint's garments and the work done.
