medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear medieval-religion colleagues,
First of all, please let me make a brief personal note of thanks to
many of you who have written me directly, expressing concern about my
family members who live in the province of L'Aquila. I have spoken
with my uncle in Corfinio, who said he's never felt anything remotely
as powerful as this quake -- he called out loud 'Jesus save us' while
being thrown around in his bed. After it subsided, then checking with
his family that they were ok, he went downstairs to the hotel he
runs, where a Norwegian lady was staying the night -- she was
awakened by my uncle, not having felt a single thing! Corfinio as of
this morning seemed to have got off lightly. The roof of one of the
three working local churches collapsed, but of course no one was
hurt, given the time of night. The church in question is Santa Maria
del Soccorso, built in 1540. Apparently there wasn't damage to the
twelfth-century cathedral basilica of San Pelino, and its ancient
wing, the church of Sant'Alessandro; the latter has just witnessed
the end of restoration work that began in the 1980s (if not before)!
I know L'Aquila rather well, and I recognize many of the buildings
and churches in the photos and newscasts -- it's very shocking and sad.
Again, thank you very much for your kind messages and thoughts --
they are much appreciated.
And now, more to the point of our list ...
Following John's very welcome update, I have read that the basilica
of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, built by Peter of the Morrone in 1289
and the site of his coronation as Pope Celestine V in 1294, has been
severely damaged: the rear part of the church, from the transept
back, has collapsed. Despite this, the tomb of Peter/Celestine has
survived, despite being in that area of the church. The beautiful
renaissance facade of the church has survived, perhaps because it is
presently supported by scaffolding erected to allow for repointing
and other remedial repairs.
Nearby Porta Napoli, built in 1548, was destroyed. It was massive.
The National Museum of Abruzzo, which is housed in the 16th-century
castle, has suffered damage, but I have not been able to ascertain
whether its rich medieval collection has been affected.
The bell tower of the basilica of San Bernardino, housing the tomb of
St Bernardino da Siena (who died in 1444, while visiting L'Aquila),
has collapsed.
The local branch of the Archivio di Stato -- with some interesting
medieval material -- has collapsed. I have no word as to the
condition of the building's contents.
I have tried to get more information directly from people I know in
the regional ministry of culture, and in the diocese of Sulmona and
Valva, but I am told that they are far more concerned with dealing
with people at this stage than with monuments. Quite right, too.
George
--
George FERZOCO
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On 6 Apr 2009, at 16:44, John Dillon wrote:
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
> culture
>
> Dear All,
>
> The press coverage of the earthquake that struck L'Aquila (AQ) in
> Abruzzo this morning has of course focussed on the human loss (at
> least 92 reported dead). Not surprisingly, there has also been
> damage to the area's medieval monuments. Some of the affected
> churches are listed here:
> http://www.wallstreetitalia.com/articolo.asp?art_id=692489
>
> These include Santa Maria di Collemaggio, the resting place of St.
> Peter Celestine (Celestine V); Santa Maria Paganica, and San
> Silvestro. Some views and brief, Italian-language accounts of
> these before the earthquake are here:
>
> Santa Maria di Collemaggio:
> http://tinyurl.com/dabnyn
> http://tinyurl.com/2csgbn
> Brief accounts:
> http://tinyurl.com/cu2fyl
> http://www.morronedelsannio.com/abruzzo/collemaggio.htm
>
> Santa Maria Paganica:
> http://tinyurl.com/chrkv6
> fifteen views here (the last ones on this page):
> http://tinyurl.com/37kjue
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/53366513@N00/2441438080/sizes/l/
> Brief account:
> http://tinyurl.com/dm6sln
>
> San Silvestro:
> http://tinyurl.com/9wlllo
> five views here, about halfway down the page:
> http://tinyurl.com/37kjue
> Brief account:
> http://tinyurl.com/cspjr2
>
> Best,
> John Dillon
>
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