Santa Maria del Suffragio (L'Aquila)
Encyclopedia
Santa Maria del Suffragio, which is commonly called the church of Anime Sante (Blessed Souls), is an 18th century church in L'Aquila
, Italy
.
It started being built on October 10, 1713, ten years after the 1703 L'Aquila earthquake damaged the Confraternita del Suffragios former seat.
The Roman architect Carlo Buratti was charged with the work. In 1770 Gianfrancesco Leomporri added a baroque
façade, and years later, in 1805, the church was completed with a neoclassical
dome by Giuseppe Valadier
.
Being one of the most important churches of the city, Santa Maria del Suffragio also became one of the main symbols of the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake
when, on April 6, 2009, it suffered serious damages and its dome was almost entirely pulled down by the quake.
L'Aquila
L'Aquila is a city and comune in central Italy, both the capital city of the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. , it has a population of 73,150 inhabitants, but has a daily presence in the territory of 100,000 people for study, tertiary activities, jobs and tourism...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
It started being built on October 10, 1713, ten years after the 1703 L'Aquila earthquake damaged the Confraternita del Suffragios former seat.
The Roman architect Carlo Buratti was charged with the work. In 1770 Gianfrancesco Leomporri added a baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
façade, and years later, in 1805, the church was completed with a neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
dome by Giuseppe Valadier
Giuseppe Valadier
Giuseppe Valadier was an Italian architect and designer, urban planner and archeologist, a chief exponent of Neoclassicism in Italy.-Biography:...
.
Being one of the most important churches of the city, Santa Maria del Suffragio also became one of the main symbols of the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake
2009 L'Aquila earthquake
The 2009 L'Aquila earthquake occurred in the region of Abruzzo, in central Italy. The main shock occurred at 3:32 local time on 6 April 2009, and was rated 5.8 on the Richter scale and 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale; its epicentre was near L'Aquila, the capital of Abruzzo, which together...
when, on April 6, 2009, it suffered serious damages and its dome was almost entirely pulled down by the quake.