A Repudiated Restoration: the Facade Reconstruction of the San Bernardino Basilica in L'Aquila

Abstract

The restoration works carried out in the last century on the facade of the San Bernardino Basilica not only constitute a completely unpublished story, but offer various reasons for reflection. The split between structure and form, on which the intervention of the Civil Engineering Department is based, produces an extreme choice poorly based on the real danger. A singular distance between the theoretical-methodological acquisitions and the practice is evident, aimed at continuing what has already been achieved in the past without any critical reflection. The monumental sixteenth-century facade was almost completely disassembled and rebuilt with an internal frame in reinforced concrete in 1958-1962, although it was unharmed both in 1703 (when an earthquake damaged the dome, which was later rebuilt), and in 1915 during the earthquake that destroyed Marsica. In addition to the inopportune demolition, the oblivion that characterizes the story is surprising; here it is reconstructed on the basis of the technical reports and documents of the construction site. The recent seismic events have subjected the facade to a test which has proved to be effective, but have also confirmed the vulnerability of the dome and the bell tower, already manifested in the past. Today we cannot ignore the real consistency of the building and future conservation criticalities, nor persist in the obstinate separation between structural and restoration issues (as if this concerned only the superficial aspect).