Basilica of San Bernardino

The history of the founding of the church is connected with the personality of the saint, who, despite feeling unwell, came to L'Aquila in 1444 to reconcile the two warring parties. By the time of his death, which occurred on May 20 in the capital of Abruzzo, the locals received the blessing of Pope Eugene IV for the burial of Bernardine from Siena in L'Aquile and the foundation of a small monastery in memory of him.

Construction, which was interrupted several times, began in 1454 and ended in 1472 with the erection of a dome , after which work began on landscaping the interior of the basilica.

At the same time, work began on the arrangement of the facade under the direction of Sylvester dal Akuil , whose death in 1506 , the work stopped, and the facade remained unfinished for almost twenty years. In 1524, the facade was commissioned by Nicola Filotesio , better known as Cola del Amatrice , and in 1542 all work was completed.

After the earthquake in 1703, the interior of the temple was completely rebuilt in the Baroque style by three famous architects of the time: Cipriani , Contini and Biaridzhoni . At the same time, three windows on the facade were added. In 1724, Ferdinando Mosca created a beautiful wooden ceiling, which was painted by Girolamo Chenatempo , who is also the author of the frescoes in the chapel , where the mausoleum is located. In 1773, Donato Rocco di Ciccio created the main altar .

During another devastating earthquake in L'Aquila on April 6, 2009, the apse of the basilica and partially ancient bell tower were damaged. Damage also affected the drum of the dome, the longitudinal walls of the monastery and the adjacent complex.

After the earthquake, the president of Monte dei Paschi di Siena , Giuseppe Mussari , on the air promised to contribute the necessary material resources for the restoration of the basilica ^[3] . The estimated cost of the restoration of the temple is more than forty million euros , during restoration work for a period of more than ten years ^[4] .

The basilica is located in the city center, on Via San Bernardino , a few steps from Corso Vittorio Emanuele . A monumental staircase leads to the temple, which goes up to Piazza Barishanello . The best view of the basilica opens when you walk along Via Fortebraccio . The second staircase is above street level and follows from the porch .

Facade

The facade of the temple in the Renaissance style was built by the design of Cola del Amatrice between 1524 and 1542 . According to some researchers, this project is inspired by the architecture of the church of San Lorenzo in Florence , built by Michelangelo . The facade is divided into three tiers , decorated with three different orders : the lower - Doric , the middle - Ionic and the upper - Corinthian .

In the entablature of the lower tier on the frieze , triglyphs and metopes alternate. In the middle tier is a triphora (tricuspid window), added during restoration work in the 18th century, at the edges of which there are two round windows. In the upper tier there is a large round window, on the sides of which there are reliefs with the image of the sun. Four rows of double columns of various orders divide the facade vertically, thereby creating a space of nine squares in three rows. The main portal , enclosed between the spiral columns, has a lunette by Sylvester del Aquuil with the image of the Virgin and Child with Saints Francis from Assisi and Bernardine from Siena .

Interior

The interior is a Latin cross with three naves about a hundred meters long. The baroque interior appeared during the restoration after the earthquake in 1703, which destroyed the central nave, dome and drum .

Today, over the central nave is a carved gilded coffered ceiling by Ferdinando Mosca from Pescara in 1723 - 1727, which also has a magnificent monumental organ . The ceiling was painted by Girolamo Chenatiempo, a student of Luca Giordano . On the sides of the nave are numerous chapels with octagonal domes.

In the last chapel on the left is the Camponeschi mausoleum , the work of Sylvester dell Aquila, and in the second chapel on the right is the altar with the terracotta sculpture " Resurrection of Christ " by Andrea della Robbia . In the fourth chapel on the right is the painting “ Adoration of the Magi ” by Pompeo Cesour , a student of Raphael .

In the largest chapel, fifth to the right, is the mausoleum of St. Bernardine of Siena. Its construction was entrusted to Sylvester dell Aquila in 1489 and completed by his nephew Angelo, nicknamed L'Ariscola in 1505. The mausoleum is considered a sculptural masterpiece of the Renaissance, it has a quadrangle base with two pilasters, decorated with niches with a sacred sculpture. The relics rest in an urn that replaces the original silver urn stolen by Napoleon Bonaparte. The vault of the chapel and the apse are decorated with frescoes by Girolamo Chenatempo.

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  Facade

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  Interior

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  Organ

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  Tomb of St. Bernardin of Siena

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  Interior

• Basilica of St. Bernardino (Basilica di San Bernardino)