Chiesa Taoista d'Italia意大利道教会与至高和谐道观

Type

Overseas Daoist Temples

Location

Italy · Campania Region · Caserta · Both the association's headquarters and the temple are in Caserta

First built

Association founded in 1993; the Temple of Supreme Harmony in 2012 · Founded by Vincenzo di Ieso (Daoist name Li Xuanzhong); according to the European Daoist community's own account, 'currently the only temple to have received formal recognition from the highest authority of the Daoist tradition'

Overview

The Chiesa Taoista d'Italia (Italian Taoist Church/Association) was founded in Caserta in 1993 by Vincenzo di Ieso (Daoist name Li Xuanzhong), one of the earliest Daoist organizations established in Europe and a leading force in the European Daoist network. In 2012 it completed the 'Tempio Taoista della Suprema Armonia' (Temple of Supreme Harmony); according to the European Daoist community's own account, it is currently the only Daoist temple in Europe to have received formal recognition from the highest authority of the Daoist tradition — most Daoist organizations in Europe exist only as associations without a fixed temple, giving this temple a landmark significance in the institutionalization of European Daoism. Li Xuanzhong also led the founding of the Europe Taoist Federation, registered in 2019, and serves as chairman of the European Taoist Association and vice-chairman of the World Taoism Federation, a central figure linking Daoist organizations in Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, Slovenia, Russia, and elsewhere. No independently reliable source gives the precise address, coordinates, or corporate registration details of the association and its temple; these should be verified against the organization's own website.

Highlights

• One of the earliest Daoist organizations in Europe (1993)
• Temple of Supreme Harmony (2012)
• Led the founding of the Europe Taoist Federation (2019)
• Li Xuanzhong (Vincenzo di Ieso)